Requiem of Solace
by acexianshun
Summary: Sans is well aware of the futility of his actions. What he isn't aware of are the greater things that are in play with his reality, and the reality of many other universes. Features Time travel, dimension travel, Undertale, Deltarune, ( ?), and the player.
1. Hope

The sound of boots crunching through the snow reached him. He immediately stepped out of the forest clearing and hid himself behind the trees. The footsteps tore through the muffling silence, a silence which he knew to be undisturbed except for the times when he would come to visit _her_. He cursed silently under his breath, preparing himself for what had to come.

The kid walked right past him, without ever noticing. He grinned wider. _This would be fun._

He emerged out of the woods, following the kid. The child tripped over a fallen branch, though she gave no reaction at all. She briefly inspected the branch, trying to pick it up. It seemed too heavy for her to pick up. The kid started walking up ahead.

Sans disappeared, and reappeared next to the branch. He stomped on it and immediately whisked himself into the woods again. The sound of the branch breaking had certainly attracted the kid's attention. She was looking at the pieces of the branch carefully, walking back to inspect it once again. With a hint of uncertainty on her face, the child slowly walked away.

Sans started following the kid once again, slowly increasing the loudness of his gait. By the time the child had reached his brother's poorly made bridge, she seemed to have realized that he was behind her. She stopped, either frozen with fear, or tensed up; expecting a confrontation. He leisurely made his way to her, slowly but surely. The anticipation of the thing he was going to do was getting to him.

"Human."

The child tensed.

"Don't you know how to greet a new pal?"

Some of the tension bled out of her shoulders.

"Turn around and shake my hand." He stuck out his hand.

The child turned around. Sans got to see the kid's face. She had squinty eyes and her mouth in a somewhat thin line. She warily gazed at his hand, but relented anyways. The sound of a whoopee cushion broke the tense silence. The corners of her mouth twitched.

"Heheh. . . the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. It's ALWAYS funny."

The human looked confused by the turn of events. Sans ignored the look on her face, ploughing on.

"Anyways, you're a human, right? That's hilarious. I'm Sans. Sans the skeleton."

The human seemed more accustomed to his presence by now. She definitely seemed more relaxed. Sans then began explaining the situation to the human regarding his brother. Just when he'd finished hiding the human behind the "conveniently" shaped lamp, his brother made an appearance. Their banter had seemed to cheer up the human, who had been looking somewhat distraught before meeting him.

After leaving the human near his station, Sans went back to the spot he had been before his encounter with the human. He sat down, resting his back against a tree. As he looked up to the clearing, he saw a trace of yellow sink into the ground. Not fazed by it at all, he called out.

"Hey you."

The yellow flower appeared right back at the same spot he had disappeared. It sneered back at him.

"Trashbag."

"You're hurting my feelings, you know that right? After so long we've known each other, you still choose to call me that. What did I ever do to you?"

The flower's expression turned murderous. It spoke with venom in its voice, "What were the circumstances under which we spoke to one another last time, huh? I hate this act you put up every single time we meet."

Sans shrugged, "I really can't do anything about it. Every reset of yours costs me my memory. The only thing that I DO remember is to stay wary of you. Call it a hunch, or instinct. You've heard the saying right? _Never trust a flower._ "

Flowey huffed with impatience. He muttered angrily, "I should really kill that river-person."

Sans raised an eye socket, "You wouldn't do that. Isn't that ferry the only reason why you're able to move around so quickly every time?"

Flowey cackled manically, "Not at all. I don't need the river-person for anything."

"How do you travel around then?"

"I have MY secrets Trashbag, just like you have YOURS."

Sans inquired, "Why don't you kill the river-person then? I'm sure you've had the chance to do that many times, but I get the feeling that you've complained about having not killed them many times too."

Flowey said with a frown, "I just don't kill them because, well, for some reason, I can't. The same reason why I can't kill shopkeepers. That old turtle really knew how to milk it."

"I always liked the old turtle. He knows things without having to search for them in a backhanded manner like you."

"Enough! I've already said too much. Argh! How could I've been so careless?"

"Don't work yourself so much pal. I probably will forget this along with a lot many things. That reminds me, what were you doing there?"

A disturbing smile broke across Flowey's face. In a high pitched voice he said, "That human wields the powers that you are afraid of, Trashbag. They are the most determined being in the underground. They have snatched away my powers."

Sans's eyes widened. He hadn't expected anything like this. Sure, this psychopath flower was capable of many things, but even he knew that the flower wasn't lying. He said carefully, "It is a good thing then, is it not? That these powers would now rest with a person capable of feeling something for others, and not a soulless husk like you?"

Flowey still held his smile, "Maybe you're right Trashbag. Maybe that human won't abuse the SAVE function the way I did. However, who's stopping me from taking those powers back?"

The way that was said unsettled Sans. It didn't take long for him to connect two and two together. The outcome of that scenario surely was horrible. It would be one he wouldn't be able to anything about if it happened.

"What is stopping me from ending you now, flower?"

"The fact that it wouldn't matter anyway. I'll come back whenever the human resets. I'm sure that you know all about it, don't ya?"

Sans knew he needed information. Any information would do right now. He pressed, "How will you get past ASGORE?"

Flowey smirked, "As I told you Trashbag, I have my secrets, just like you have yours. And all for what's worth, why do you care? Haven't you given up on this world? _. . .to be blunt. . .it kind of makes it hard to give it my all. . ._ " he finished in an uncanny imitation of Sans.

Sans grit his teeth. Flowey flinched when Sans looked at him again, for his pupils had disappeared. In a low voice, Sans said, " _I have my motivations, just like you have yours. Tell me or, . . ._ "

Flowey cut him off, "You have absolutely nothing that you can threaten me with. I have already wasted enough of my time with your incessant garbage. Do not cross paths with me again. Consider this as a warning."

"That's too bad. That's for another time though. Right now, I gotta guide the human through this place properly."

Flowey gave a snort, "Your so called guidance just makes one weak. How can one be strong without EXP or LV? How will the human defeat me without them? After all, this world is still KILL or BE KILLED."

"That's where you're wrong. I never needed any of them to take you down, did I?"

Flowey gave Sans a withering glare, before slinking back underground. Sans sighed. No matter what the little psychopath said, he knew this time would be different. This time, a human with a SOUL and emotions, not a soulless flower, wielded the awesome powers of the SAVE function. She surely would like people around her to love her, to care for her, right?

They said ignorance was bliss, and Sans could not agree more. This knowledge, the one about the SAVE function and how it works, would never be meant for someone without the ability. It would drive someone mad. That's the reason why he had only two desires. Either someone makes him lose this knowledge, or he gets the ability to SAVE. The second option was an impossibility.

The first one was possible. Being free of it however, required him being freed from everything.

Had he begun to wish for death already? It wouldn't be so difficult, would it? He was already the weakest in terms of base stats.

Was anything he did, ever worth it?

No.

No.

He couldn't entertain this string of thoughts again! He had a lot to live for didn't he?

Papyrus.

The lady behind the door.

Alphys.

The people at Grillby's.

If he were to go away, they would miss him. They needed him in their lives. He still had to continue for them! Moreover, they had a new, real hope in the form of that human. All of them would look up to that human to free them from the underground, either by being killed by ASGORE, or by some method the humans knew. They had hope.

If he could help set the human on the right path, then Sans could hope too.

Sans slowly got up to his feet and dusted his trousers. He gazed into the distance, realizing something he had always overlooked before. The lamp behind which the human had hidden was visible from the spot he usually used to sit in the clearing. He felt an unknown emotion course through him.

He also realized there was a lot of work to be done. Groaning, he whisked himself away.

 **AN: Yeah, this is my take on an Undertale/Deltarune story. Toby Fox has managed to blow my mind twice, and here are the pieces of that totally blown mind. Mind you, Sans here is not nearly as nihilistic as we see on a Genocide Run, but that may change. Also you might've seen that I have used feminine pronouns for Frisk. It saves a lot of confusion especially since using third person pronouns feels a bit weird to me. I apologize for not being totally politically correct. With that really "off-putting" note, I announce that I'll be using feminine pronouns for Chara as well as Kris...**

 **Please rate and review, it'll help me in knowing whether I'm going in the right direction or not. Constructive criticism is always appreciated!**


	2. Neutrality

**AN: This chapter has dialogue taken straight from the game "Undertale".**

* * *

The laboratory was cold. It always was. Sans was used to it. Flipping through his old documents never held much in store for him, except for arousing a powerful yearning in his heart. If only he could go back.

The human had left Snowdin sometime ago, having fought his brother. What he couldn't fathom was how Papyrus could ever have been a threat to her. He didn't understand why the human would do _that_. His words earlier to the flower seemed to now have a hollow ring to them.

Who was he fooling? The human had probably experienced all of this before. They were just abusing their powers to see what happens, without understanding the ramifications of their actions. However, their reaction on meeting him at the forest clearing had been genuine, to say the least. It possibly could've been their first time interacting with this world.

Sans dared not to pursue his thoughts any further. The last time he had done so, he had lulled himself into a false sense of security. That could not be allowed to happen again.

He kept rummaging through the files, when a small card fell on the floor. _That's odd_ , he mused, _I don't remember this being here before._ He gently picked up the card and inspected it. Written on it, in his own handwriting, were the words "don't forget."

He scratched his head. _What the hell was that supposed to mean? Don't forget? What is there to remember anyway?_ He flipped the card and recoiled away in shock, dropping the card on the floor. It was a poorly drawn picture of three people. Three people he recognized.

* * *

He dragged himself towards the door in the forest. On reaching it, he gave a sharp knock. . .

. . .no response.

Sans patiently waited there for a few seconds before shaking his head. She must've been busy with something. He decided to wait out there for some time. He reached into his pocket, pulling out the clumsily made picture. This was a picture he remembered making a long time ago, when he was a small child. He was sure that the picture was lost, but now it came back in front of him, opening old wounds and refreshing painful memories. For a long time, he had forgotten how the three in the picture looked. Seeing it again had definitely jogged up his memories.

He pocketed the card, before turning to the door to knock once again.

No response.

This was certainly strange. The old lady admitted to not having much to do and that she usually used to answer almost instantly once he knocked.

A strange feeling crawled down his spine. The urge to call out for her became too overwhelming.

"Old lady?"

No response.

The feeling gave way to a pit in his stomach. A lot many things seemed to add up. The human's distraught expression when he had met her on this road. His brother's death.

 _Did you kill her too?_ Hot, angry resentment spread through him. It was as if the human just wished to take everyone he cared about away from him. _It's again too bad that I can't kill you. The least I can do is to honor a dead person's wishes._ His mind made, Sans closed his eyes.

Opening his eyes, he found himself in a huge cavern. The sounds of singing reached him. At the far end of the cavern, he spotted two figures. It was the human, along with, Shyren? They seemed to be getting along well. This continued for some more time. During the event, Sans had a suspicion that the human had snuck a glance towards his general direction. He made no move to reveal his presence if it hadn't been discovered already.

The human bid Shyren farewell, continuing on her path. Sans sighed, and left too.

* * *

He knocked outside the laboratory door. The door slid open, revealing a yellow monster in a dirty lab coat.

"Haven't bothered to clean up for a while, huh?"

Alphys blushed. She replied in a shaking voice, "It's too bad that the human had to see me like this, but you to-" she cut herself on seeing his pupils disappear, only to reappear once again.

"I told you not to do that, you manage to scare me out of my skin every time you do that," Alphys muttered, disconcerted. Sans looked away, slightly abashed. "I know why you're here Sans. I am so sorry," Alphys continued.

"You have nothing to be sorry about Alphys. And I am not here to talk about _that_. I am here to ask about your neighbors living in the basement."

"W-wait what? Why them, all of a sudden?" Alphys's expression had paled by now and she was visibly shaking. Sans gave her a patient look, before continuing, "Alphys. What were their base stats?"

Her expression grew confused. Sans repeated, "What were their base stats? You know what I am talking about, don't you?"

She said quietly, "The weakest monster among them had ATK and DEF at 5. The strongest one maxed out at ATK and DEF 20. All others ranged between these two extremes. Why are you asking me this?"

"Have you ever seen someone with a base ATK and DEF of 1?"

Alphys shook her head. Sans continued, "What was the result of injecting determination into the weakest monster?"

"He lived the longest among all of them, that monster. However, he too melted into them. You still haven't explained why you're asking me all this, Sans."

"Don't worry about it. Just asking for curiosity's sake." At her pointed look, he shrugged.

 _Beep_

Sans hadn't noticed the device in her hand. Alphys looked at the device and frowned, "Your base stats are shown to be 1 for both parameters. What is this Sans? What are you going to do with this?" She cast a suspicious look upon him.

Sans held up his hands and said, "Nothing serious Alphys. These were just some thoughts on my part."

"'Just some thoughts' doesn't seem the case to me. Tell me the truth. Are you thinking of taking determination?"

"I was thinking of doing that before I came here. I've changed my mind though. Right now is not the correct time to do anything like that."

"I'm curious Sans, why would you want to prevent death? You've already told me about how life doesn't interest you anymore. Is this a way to ensure you don't do something stupid and cowardly?"

"I would never do that. I still have people with me, Alphys. Plus, I'm your sole confidant regarding this problem of yours. I wouldn't leave you alone. Just forget I ever asked anything about stats and determination, okay?"

Alphys gave him a strange look, but ultimately relented. Sans nodded and then asked, "How did you deal with the human?"

"I told her that I would help her where she requires it, and… never mind that."

"You would help her?"

"She'll never be in any real danger to begin with. I just have set up a couple of puzzles for her and Mettaton is engaging her in a few activities where she might require some help."

"Why would you do that Alphys?"

"So that maybe I can feel a little better about m-myself. I-I am so sorry s-Sans. I didn't even p-pause to consider what you might think of it, when she has killed your brother." There was wetness in her eyes, but Sans really didn't mind it.

"Don't sweat it. I can't hate you for your approach, methods or relationships with anyone else, cuz you know, it's your personal life and I gotta maintain what I have with you, you know?"

Sans really didn't judge Alphys for trying to help the human. It was her life, her choices.

* * *

The human's shadow fell on the floor in front of her. She gazed at him with an uncertain look. She definitely had questions, but they were unimportant. Right now was not the time for it.

"So, you have finally arrived. The end of your journey is at hand. In a few moments, you will meet the king. Together… You will determine the future of this world."

The human looked confused.

"That's then. Now, you will be judged. You will be judged for every action. You will be judged for every EXP you earned."

The human was looking completely lost now.

"What's EXP? It's an acronym. It stands for 'execution points.' A way of quantifying the pain you have inflicted on others. When you kill someone, your EXP increases. When you have enough EXP, your LOVE increases. LOVE, too, is an acronym. It stand for 'Level of Violence.' A way of measuring someone's capacity to hurt. The more you kill, the easier it becomes to distance yourself. The more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt. The more easily you can bring yourself to hurt others."

The human's face had paled by now. She was looking at him with a mixture of emotions, shock and fright. He wasn't finished yet.

"Now, you understand. It's time to begin your judgement. Look inside yourself. Have you really done the right thing? And, considering what you've done. . . What will you do now?"

"Truthfully, it doesn't really matter what you said. All that's important is that you were honest with yourself. What happens now. . . we leave up to you."

The human was looking him right in the eye by now. The resolve in her eyes gave him some hope. But before that, he had to make her sweat a little.

He continued, "Though. . . one thing about you always struck me as kinda odd. Now, I understand acting in self-defense. You were thrown into those situations against your own will. But. . . sometimes. . . you act like you know what's gonna happen. Like you've already experienced it before. This is an odd thing to say, but. . . if you have some kind of special power. . . isn't it your responsibility to do the right thing?"

The human looked at him once again. He knew what her answer was going to be, but he needed to make sure that she be reminded of her sins no matter what she thought now.

"Yes."

"Ah, yes. . ." Sans smiled a predatory grin and his pupils dilated.

" _Then why'd you kill my brother?_ "

The human had begun to sweat by now. Whatever she was going to say, Sans did not care for. He closed his eyes and reappeared in front of the laboratory in Hotland. He rapped on the door with his knuckles.

* * *

He was an idiot.

Mettaton was dead.

Undyne was dead.

Alphys already was in a delicate mental condition. Her friends' deaths would only serve to push her further into mental instability. He had searched for her everywhere. Her lab, the True Lab, the garbage dump, the rundown store outside the hotel. She was nowhere to be found.

He had seen the human at the hotel once, which had confused him. Wasn't she supposed to be fighting Asgore? Knowing Asgore though, Sans concluded that he'd given the human one last chance before their fight to death.

A sudden movement caught his eye. There was darkness emerging from the hotel. _What the hell?_ Before he knew it, his surroundings were being shrouded in the pitch black fog. Creeping towards him, it began to cover him. He couldn't see anything, he couldn't hear anything.

He couldn't breathe anymore.

…

Huh?

What just happened?

* * *

It was a sad day in the Underground. Not only was their king dead, but the human SOULs he had collected were nowhere to be found. They mourned not only for their king, but also for their dashed hopes and broken dreams. It was a requiem of solace.

Sans had many people pester him to be the king. He turned all of them down, seeing no purpose for something he had no control over. He did have a few words though.

He had gone to Alphys's lab and looked through the calling records of the inhabitants of the underground and looked for the human's phone number.

He called the human. She did not seem to pick up her phone though. He left her a message anyway, describing the state of the Underground after her departure. After accidentally letting out his anger on the phone, he cut the call.

He was still waiting for the human to reset. That was the only good thing he could hope for, seeing he had no other way out of this mess. He was truly lonely now, having lost everyone he held dear, and not being able to go back to _his home_. Funny, how his situation had vaguely resembled the human's situation.

Having nothing else to do, he took out the card again from his pocket. He looked at the three figures, the three friends he once had, in another time, in another place. When he was happy. The only thing left now. . .

. . .was to wait.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, this chapter goes with the Neutral route...(duh, author)...**

 **Uh... sorry about that.**

 **Well, the darkness in that second last scene is not yet related to Deltarune ;). Bonus points if you can guess what it is (not a really difficult question. Don't feel too proud if you get it correct). The next chapter will deal with parts of the Pacifist route (so don't expect it to be as long as this chapter) and my interpretation of Sans's actions during the Pacifist ending. After this, we'll deal with the Genocide route, which will also have a lot of my interpretations of certain actions done by characters in that specific playthrough.**

 **I really do appreciate people who are taking their time to read this story (if any actually do, lol). I also thank you if you decide to share your thoughts with me in their reviews. I also apologize to anyone reading this for any potential delays that might come up with updating this story. Life is slightly difficult nowadays.**

 **Well, that's enough rambling on my part. Have a nice day and... Ciao!**


	3. Once Upon A Time

The red disc stood in front of him, smiling and slowly marching to its own tune. He had never seen anything like it. He stuck his hand out apprehensively, curious of what it would do. The small creature slowly marched up to him, still smiling.

 _Hiss_

The hissing sound of a pressure plate caught his attention. The creature had stepped on a tile which had glowed white. A glint of gold appeared in the periphery of his vision, falling down towards the creature. It landed on the top of its head.

Lancer barely had time to notice that the object was a crown that had fallen on the disc's head, before the disc had began to grow enormously in size. It stepped towards him, letting out a low growl.

He hadn't realized, but his legs were shaking. He raised a trembling hand, summoning a spade which struck the beast in the face. It let out a loud roar, and charged towards him, stars flying out of its legs. Lancer ran, ran as fast as he could, dodging the trees in the forest, avoiding the traps set in place.

The sound of rustling leaves caught his attention and before he knew it, he was scooped up in someone's arms, hearing a mischievous laugh. He turned his head around, and saw a jester. Jevil cackled out, "Ah poor Lancer. Why do you always get into situations of chaos?"

Lancer resisted the urge to smack his forehead. Jevil would just make things here worse. He still had to try anyway. "The beast is behind us, Jevil! Do something!"

Jevil looked into the direction Lancer had come running from, as though realizing that something had been following Lancer just now. He shrugged, and let out a laugh again, "Don't worry kid, we'll just leave that beast behind us."

Jevil snapped his fingers. A scythe materialized and rushed towards the beast. It struck the disc in the legs, toppling it over. The crown loosened and fell off, the disc shrinking back to its original tiny form. Jevil, still holding up Lancer, slowly walked to the red checker. He put Lancer down.

"What do we learn from this Lancer?" he asked the child.

"I should learn how to conjure scythes like you?"

"Uee-hee-hee, no. What I mean to show you is that no foe is unbeatable. You should just know how to get past their strengths, and figure out their weaknesses. This beast just needed that crown knocked off. He's back to being that little guy again, isn't he?"

Lancer eagerly nodded. Spending time with Jevil was the best thing he knew. He was the only one who seemed to genuinely like him. He waited patiently for Jevil to continue, looking intently at him. Jevil noticed this and smirked. "We've been here for too long, haven't we? What, are you waiting for something else?"

"Yes."

"Too bad kid. I need to get you home first. You've been creating enough chaos lately. It's a good thing that your dad doesn't get to know of your shenanigans."

"Hey! It's nothing like that. Also, what does shenanigans mean?"

"Uee-hee-hee. This is my challenge to you then. Tell me what this word means, the next time we meet. Okay?"

"Fine."

"Well then, we should get going. Grab my hand, young Lancer."

Lancer felt a large hand grab his much smaller one. He began to set out for the door next to the shops, but Jevil's hand merely twisted. He found himself in front of Card Castle on taking his next step. He whirled around and looked at Jevil incredulously.

"How did you do that?"

"Haven't I told you before? I can do anything!"

"You haven't done that before." Lancer was very sure of that. He thought he might've seen a small frown on Jevil's face, but it must've been a trick of the light.

"We always learn new things, don't we Lancer?" this time a frown had definitely settled on the jester's face. He seemed deeply unsettled by something.

"What's wrong Jevil? You usually aren't like this." Lancer needed to make sure Jevil was okay. He was the only friend he had, after all.

Jevil looked down. He said in low voice, "This you don't worry about. This is something I'll figure out myself, young one. Why don't you run along to your room? The kings are going to hold court soon. I need to be present there."

As if on cue, another figure approached them. Seam sent a dangerous glance at Lancer. The child slunk back, hiding behind Jevil.

Jevil seemed to have noticed this. "Is something wrong Seam?"

"Nothing, just that a child needn't be present in court proceedings."

"You just heard me telling him to go to his room. Of all people, you can cut the kid some slack, can't you?"

"Let him remain the brat he is? You sure have your priorities straight." Lancer tried to not give much thought to what Seam said, but it still hurt. He turned on his heel and ran away, heading for the elevator to his room.

* * *

"You just had to say that, didn't you?" Jevil rounded on Seam.

Seam shrugged. He continued as if nothing had happened, "You have requested the kings for this meeting, haven't you?"

Jevil looked down, "Yes, I have. I need to tell the kings of this threat that looms above us. Something has to be done."

Seam made a clicking noise, "That's where I tell you that you're being delusional. Something like this cannot happen. They'll mock you, Jevil, for putting this forth."

Jevil shook his head, "You don't know anything. I know this to be true. The person whom I've been seeing has shown me enough to convince me on this matter."

Seam raised an eyebrow, "This 'person' you keep talking about. Do you even know their name? Do you think they can even be trusted? Is this person even real? You've told me their details, but I've yet to see ONE Darkner, who meets the specifications of this 'mystery' person."

Jevil sighed, "Believe what you must Seam, just as I'll believe what I must. It's time for the court to start."

* * *

"Really Jevil? Did we grant you our precious time, only for you to squander it by telling us tales, which can merit to absurd at best?" the king of spades sneered.

Jevil waved his hands in an effort to placate the king, "Your Majesty, I don't intend to waste your time. However, what this person says is true! I've seen it with my own eyes."

The king of hearts leaned forward and said, "Who is this person, jester?"

"I don't know much about him. He speaks in a strange language which nobody else except for me seem to understand! He doesn't look like anything like a Darkner. His body is entirely devoid of color. But he has shown me this reality-shattering power sir!" Jevil said hurriedly.

The king of diamonds snorted. The king of clubs, however said, "That sounds absurd in itself, joker. But even if we suppose what you are saying is true, how will you prove any of this?"

Jevil said, "This person will show it to you. They can appear whenever they want, wherever they want. If they wish so, they'll appear here, and verify my points in front of this court. Please! Will you not show yourself?"

…

But nobody came.

The kings started whispering among one another.

The king of spades stood up, throwing a menacing grin in Jevil's direction. He announced, "As king of spades and the representative of the kings' will to the people, I hereby declare that the court jester, Jevil, be sentenced for propagating lies, falsehoods and heresy."

Jevil's eyes widened. He stuttered out, "Y-you can't do this! PLEASE! This is something m-much more i-important than the prophecy!"

The king of diamonds stood up in a rage. He shouted, "You dare insult our holy prophecy with your sacrilege and lies? Mage! Capture the fiend this instant!"

Seam looked at Jevil with a disbelieving expression, clearly torn between disobeying his orders, and executing the kings' will. His expression changed, as he raised his hand, fire glowing in it.

Jevil faltered. He hadn't expected Seam to turn his back on him. It was funny, how easily this one action could hurt him more than the worst attack from the K. Round. He realized now, how the world was supposed to play out, how his actions meant nothing in the grand scheme of things.

 _Of how this world will play out_.

Jevil raised his hands. The four kings looked nervously at each other. A knife materialized above his head. _This would be fun._

"Uee-hee-hee. Bye Bye!"

* * *

Lancer looked down at his toes. He hadn't seen Jevil for many weeks. His father would always scold him whenever he talked about Jevil. He was not supposed to speak to the other kings. The other people in the kingdom would censor themselves unusually whenever he tried to talk to them regarding him. The mage was not to be found too, not that he would've asked him. He was too scary.

In the end, it meant that Lancer was alone, once again.

* * *

 **AN: Ay, I'm back! This chapter is a bit shorter compared to the previous two chapters (sorry...) but I have tried to fit some content into it. As for confused viewers, don't fret, don't worry. I know we have jumped straight into Deltarune, but this arcs into the main story. The main focus of the chapter is to set up Jevil, and the relationship he has with Lancer before he was banished to prison. It also serves to highlight how lonely Lancer usually is.  
As for the banishment of Jevil, yes, Seam himself says this in his shop that he was ordered by the four kings to lock Jevil up(Which implies that Jevil has been gone before the appearance of the knight and the second dark fountain). Jevil will be an important character who will (probably) help us drive the plot of this jumbled mess forward. I know I had said that I would be writing the Pacifist and Genocide routes, but not yet. This story needs to be set up a bit more so that we can fully experience the flavors of those two paths when they come.  
Something very important- This story might seem a bit random right now, but rest assured. All these interactions, all these character building moments and stuff, they have a profound effect on both the Undertale universe and the Deltarune universe. Our story needs all of this. (heck, it even needs more views and follows and favorites, darnit)  
**

 **The million dollar question is... should I geek out or not? Feel free to read ahead if you wish to.**

 **I don't know how true this is, but apparently the concept of Deltarune is older than the concept of Undertale. Deltarune was Toby's "dream" game, whereas Undertale was the first step he took in that direction. A lot of things in Undertale actually make sense once we see them with the perspective of Deltarune.**

 **But whatever. This story is not canon-specific in anyway, seeing as how Deltarune hasn't even been released in its full, scary form yet. Even then, it's our story. Mine, the people who were kind enough to review, follow, favorite and even read it. We're in this together. Thanks for undertaking this really special journey with me. I assure you people, this story will have a definitive end, and I've got no plans to abandon it midway (quite rich coming from a guy majoring in Physics and Computer Sciences lol).**

 **This AN is getting too long for even my tastes now. Hate to cut this short. Ciao, Au revoir, Sayonara, Bye Bye? Rate and do Review :D**


	4. Kindness

The sound of boots crunching through the snow reached him. He immediately stepped out of the forest clearing and hid himself behind the trees. The footsteps tore through the muffling silence, a silence which he knew to be undisturbed except for the times when he would come to visit _her_. He cursed silently under his breath, preparing himself for what had to come.

The kid walked slowly, eyeing her surroundings carefully, peeping in the woods and continuously checking on the branch lying on the ground. Sans's eyes widened. It was as if she was checking for something, looking for someone. She had stopped her careful inspection of her surroundings and had proceeded to march towards the wooden gate with resignation.

Sans stepped out of the woods, feeling a weird déjà vu. Cocking his head to the side, and stomped on the branch hard. The branch splintered and broke, its sound startling the kid. He immediately teleported away, keeping his gaze on the kid. She had turned back, with an apprehensive (rather sheepish) smile on her face, a smile one would give to apologize to someone. Sans's suspicions were on the verge of truly being confirmed, just one thing that was left to do.

The child, realizing nobody was coming, wore a dejected look again on her face, this time just slumping forward slowly. His footsteps behind her grew louder.

"Human."

The human turned around and clasped his hand, giving him a brilliant smile.

Sans felt his own grin grow wider.

* * *

There was one thing that he was being more and more sure of. The human was _not_ interacting with this world for the first time. He didn't seem to detect any malice about her. In fact, he was counting that the human was now here with benevolent intentions.

He ran through his checklist in his mind once again. He had to keep seeing the human at a specific number of places, just to keep track of her progress and her actions. The next thing, he would have to judge her. _Once again?,_ he thought. There was a high likelihood of that happening. There was no reason for her to have reset to walk on such a path if she hadn't been unhappy with their previous path. He definitely had judged her before, and it probably hadn't been very savory for her.

She was bargaining with the Nice Cream salesman. The salesman looked happy; she seemed to have bought some. She walked up ahead to him. _Haven't you done all of this before?_

"Wanna buy some fried snow kid?"

Too bad she was as broke as him.

* * *

"Here's a tip for fighting my brother…"

She looked at him inquisitively.

"Don't. Capiche?" he winked at her.

* * *

He was watching television, when Papyrus staggered inside the house. His relief was immeasurable, having spent the entirety of the past hour in intense worry and anticipation. Disregarding everything else, he rushed to his brother and grabbed him in a fierce hug.

"Sans, what happened?" Papyrus inquired. Sans said softly, "I was afraid that I might've lost you, bro."

Papyrus let go and looked at him with a brow raised, "Why would you think that, Sans?"

Sans sighed. He had really forgotten in the midst of all this how naïve Papyrus could be. _Maybe I shouldn't be this naïve either,_ he mused, _the human might be walking on the straight and narrow, but who's stopping them from resetting once again?_

 _But this clearly isn't their first time here. They know what to expect if they don't behave,_ a small voice said, _I am not worried about them killing, but of their potential of deconstructing everything everyone has worked up to._

A loud snapping next to his face startled him. Papyrus had his hand extended in front of him and had been snapping his fingers, trying to get his attention.

"You looked like a million miles away, Sans. You sure you're okay?" he asked. Sans nodded. "Why don't you go ahead and water the moss in the backyard?"

"SANS!"

"Sorry, didn't want to work you down to the-"

"Sans, stop this instant!"

* * *

As it turned out, his brother indeed was watering the moss in the backyard. _I really need to stop messing around with him like this. Someday though, he needs to learn not to do just anything anyone asks him to do._ Sans was just about to leave when he saw his brother's mouth move.

He didn't see anyone his brother could be possibly talking to. He peered closely at Papyrus's form, a glint of yellow on the ground catching his eye. _We surely don't have golden flowers in our garden. Let me check this out._ As though reading his thoughts, the flower looked straight at him, a disturbing smile breaking across its face. It disappeared straight into the ground, leaving no trace of its existence.

Sans walked over to the spot where the flower had disappeared, looking straight at his brother. "What was that Papyrus?" he asked in a stern tone. Papyrus, not meeting his eyes, said, "Nobody."

"You know me better than that Papyrus. Do you expect me to fall for such a blatant lie like that? Tell me the truth. What were you just doing Papyrus?" he asked in the same stern tone.

"I was talking to a friend Sans." Papyrus mumbled out. Sans pressed, "Why were you lying to me now then?" Papyrus again averted his eyes, but met his eyes again, saying, "My friend has requested me to keep our friendship a secret. He also tells me not to tell anyone that I know him."

"Why exactly is he your friend, Papyrus? Does he do something for you?"

"He always praises me Sans! He recognizes how truly great I am! He also tells me really useful things, like what I can sometimes say to Undyne so that she doesn't get angry at me, and-"

"And what?" Sans demanded.

"Usually the things he says, tend to become true." Sans got a pit in his stomach. Wasn't the human the one who was resetting and reloading the timelines? Who was this flower? His instincts were silent, as though expecting something like this.

There was every possibility that this flower had revealed itself to him in some other time, some other place. There was also this possibility that someone was pranking his brother with an echo flower. _Echo flowers are not golden though._ He'd have to worry about this later however, seeing as he had other tasks at hand.

"Papyrus, where's the human right now?"

* * *

He reclined comfortably on the chair that was present at his checkpoint at the entry of Waterfall. For a moment, he'd been panicked that he'd missed the human right here. It seemed that he was in luck though, since he had seen his brother preparing for a hangout (or a date?), just after that weird encounter with the flower. He was brought out of his thoughts again by her characteristic footfalls echoing across the large cavern.

She was inspecting the echo flower, not looking very enthusiastic about it, a weird reaction from someone who would've been seeing them for the first time. Though there was always the possibility that echo flowers might grow in the human's realm, the human had also ignored the other kid in the room along with the dude standing next to the flower.

These were all just cues for Sans to pick up, cementing his theory even further, without the human being all the wise about his knowledge.

The only thing the human looked surprised was by his very own presence at the sentry station. It was funny, how much he could infer from the actions of the human. Others would have probably written it off to her behavior and personality, but Sans hadn't got to where he was by disregarding possibilities.

Her surprise gave him a big clue, that she'd probably killed his brother the last time he'd been here. _A good thing she decided to go easy this time._ He decided to exploit her surprise to start the conversation.

"What, haven't seen a guy with two jobs before? Fortunately, with two jobs, come twice as many legally-required breaks."

Sans needed to tell this kid what had been weighing on his mind, so he tried her best to convince to accompany him for lunch. She eventually relented and he took her to the diner via a 'shortcut'. She did seem 'slightly' surprised by this shortcut. Well, that was expected, after the stunt he'd pulled off in the southern end of Snowdin.

Oddly enough, she didn't seem to like ketchup. That immediately put her in his bad book of bad deeds…

 _Is it weird that I joke to myself?_

 _Time to ask the big question._

"Oh yeah, there's something I wanted to ask you." She looked at him.

"Have you ever heard of a talking flower?"

"Yes."

"So you know all about it, the echo flower. What about it? Well, Papyrus said something interesting to me the other day. Sometimes, when no one else is around, a flower appears and whispers things to him. Flattery, advice, encouragement, predictions. Weird huh?" He purposefully mislead her, to check her reaction.

She looked at him strangely. He continued, "Someone might be playing a trick on him, using an echo flower. Anyway, keep an eye out, ok?" That was disappointing, he really had hoped for something other than that strange look.

They both rose from their seats, Grillby having put the bill on his tab. He needed to see her expression one last time. He turned around and said, "By the way, I was going to say something, but I forgot." He looked directly into her eyes, sensing a hint of recognition.

He turned around and left. _That doesn't settle it for sure._ For all he knew, the kid could know about the flower or be completely oblivious to its existence. There was more work to be done.

* * *

"Wanna look through this telescope? You're my friend so of course it is free for you…"

* * *

"NGGAHH! HELP ME CHASE THE HUMAN, YOU PATHETIC SKELETON!"

"(Yawn), you saying something?"

* * *

"'Sup, Alphys?"

"H-hey. What brings you here?"

"Just wanted to check on you, that's all."

"Why don't you have a seat?" Sans sat down with one leg crossing over the other. Alphys took the seat across him. Neither of them spoke for some while. She began fiddling with her fingers out of nervousness. Sans asked with an amused grin, "Should I be always the one to break these awkward silences? You can try, you know?"

She blushed and then asked in a hurried fashion, "Would you like to something to eat?" He dipped his head once. A few minutes later, both of them were clutching a bowl of noodles. Sans slowly shoveled them into his mouth using a fork. He spoke up, "Do you know the real reason why I am here?"

She looked up from her own bowl and shook her head. He continued, "Today, I was cleaning up my own laboratory, you know, the one behind my house. I was shifting through my old documents when I found _these._ " He extended a hand holding a paperback file.

Alphys took the file and opened it, her eyes scanning the file. She set her bowl down and asked in a measured tone, "What's this supposed to be?"

Sans replied easily, "You don't have to worry about that. I just need you to have a look at it."

Alphys inquired, "Why are you showing this to me? This references 'determination' in many places. Do you think it can help with the problems with my o-own-", she broke off, unable to continue.

He gave her a patient smile, "Unfortunately, as much I would've wanted that, no. Maybe you can work on this data and try to come up with a solution to stop the bodies melting. But that's not the reason why I am showing this to you. You see, I already know all of what is written in this file."

"Then what do you want me to do with this Sans?" Alphys's tone was betraying the impatience in her voice.

"Do you see the handwriting? It's my handwriting. The problem is that I don't remember ever writing anything like this. Heck, I know I've tried some experiments in correlation with the data given in the file, but I don't remember fabricating this data. I wanted to know if you've gotten anything like this in the basement."

She shook her head, "This is beyond me, I've never seen anything like this before. I'll ask you a question though. Where did you get this file from?"

"It is one of the few things I possessed before I came to Snowdin. This file and the drawings within it."

She ruffled the pages of the file, finding blueprints of… skeletal heads, weird machines? A small drawing fell out, which she bent to pick up. Three people were smiling back at her, albeit being poorly drawn. Written on the back were the words, "don't forget"?

"What is all of this Sans? What are these blueprints about? This drawing? Who are these three people?-" Alphys had many questions, before she was cut off by Sans.

"Shh. I'll answer all your questions one by one. As for the blueprints, do you see those skeletal heads?" Alphys nodded hard. Sans snapped his fingers. A similar device hovered over his head. Alphys gulped.

"These are weapons, capable of a unique kind of damage. Unlike normal magic attacks, which immediately disappear on striking a SOUL or body, an attack from this _does not_ disappear, which causes it to continuously hit the target , hence it is capable of dealing immense damage. This is something I'd built for myself a few years ago."

Alphys meekly nodded. "Can you show me a demonstration? This is something we could use in the underground-" she said, only to be cut-off by Sans once again.

"No, these are too dangerous if not in the right hands. I am not going to demonstrate this to you, and I am not giving you these blueprints. These are mine, and stay with me only. Understand?"

"Y-yeah, I guess."

"Good. That machine is something I've tried building too. I still haven't figured out what it does."

"How wouldn't you know what it does? These are your blueprints."

"As I've already told you, I don't remember myself making any of those things, except for that drawing."

Alphys looked at the drawing he had pointed at. One of the figures in the drawing had looked somewhat like the human she'd just met. She asked him once again, "Who are these people Sans?"

He looked away, a little apprehensive about answering this question. Could he tell Alphys? She had entertained his requests so far, he should do the same too. He decided to be diplomatic.

"They are people whom I knew before coming here. I haven't seen them for a very long time. This drawing is the only thing that helps me remember."

"And where did you come from Sans? I know nothing of you, except for the fact that you were an assistant of the previous Royal Scientist, and that you quit the job after he disappeared."

"I am not sure if I want to answer that question Alphys. Things here as bad enough as they can get right now." Sans held his hands up defensively.

"What do you mean bad enough?" she inquired. Sans winced. He didn't mean for Alphys to get hold of so much information! Her mental state was already bad enough with the Amalgamates. He needed to end this discussion, quickly.

"Nothing that you need to know of right now Alphys. I don't mean to sound patronizing, but this is a trouble which I don't want to add to your heap of troubles. If the situation requires it, I'll explain everything to you. Right now-" a phone ringing interrupted their conversation.

"S-sorry Sans, I've got to take this phone call. I need to guide the human through Hotland." She muttered.

"Yeah, yeah no big deal. See ya later."

* * *

"Hey kid, I heard you were going to the CORE. How about some dinner with me first?" he winked once.

"Sure." She looked quite comfortable around him. Too bad he was going to have to break the comfortable air soon.

"Over here, I know a shortcut." He winked and walked straight into a wall, with her following.

* * *

"Here we are. Your journey is almost over, huh?" he started tentatively. She nodded, and looked sideways, her gaze losing focus. Sans commented, "You must really want to go home… don't you? I know the feeling you know?"

It was true. Sans had always wondered if he could go back to them. That life, those places. Figures that he would be stuck in a place where none of his choices ever mattered, didn't they? It really wasn't productive to mope around though. Make best of what one could have. This was what he truly believed in.

"Is what you're doing, really worth it? Down here, you've already got good food, good friends, nice places. Do we really need anything else?" he continued, hoping she would take the hint. Maybe she wouldn't reset again.

She seemed conflicted. Fair enough, he was questioning whatever she had done so far, and probably what she will do. Sans however, needed to drive his point home.

"Let me tell you a story. I am a sentry in the forest right? There's this huge door in its depths. Dunno what someone else might do, but I use it for practicing knock-knock jokes." He said. Recognition glinted in the human's eyes.

"So one day, I am knocking them out, like usual. I say 'knock-knock'. Then suddenly, from the other side, I hear a woman's voice."

"Who is it?"

"Dishes"

"Dishes who?"

"Dishes a very bad joke." Sans winked mischievously, continuing, "and she laughs as if it was the best joke she'd heard in a century."

"She had really good ones in her arsenal, which she told after a dozen of mine. She's the best audience I've ever had. She told me to come by again, so I did. It's a thing now, telling bad jokes through the door." So far, so good. Now came the time for what Sans actually had called the dinner for.

"One day I noticed, she wasn't laughing as much. I asked her what was up. She asked me, 'If a human ever comes through this door, will you please promise something? Watch over them and protect them, will you not?" Shock was written all over the human's face.

Sans continued, "Now, I hate making promises, and this woman, I barely know her! But someone who sincerely like bad jokes has an integrity you can't say 'no' to." He looked away.

"Do you get what I am saying?"

Silence.

"If I hadn't made that promise to her, buddy…" his pupils dilated and voice went extremely low.

" _You'd be dead where you stand._ "

He turned back around. His 'friend' was visibly shaking. He let a jovial smile show on his face. "You'd believe in all that crap? I'm just joking with you. Besides, haven't I done a great job of protecting you so far? Just look at you, you haven't even died a single time."

The human had recovered enough to manage an eye roll, prompting Sans to question, "What's that look supposed to mean? Am I wrong? Well anyway, kid. I'll take your leave. Just remember that someone truly cares for you." Sans walked straight through the wall, his mind in overdrive.

If the human was alive right now, it was only because Sans had decided to subscribe to that woman's morals, had decided to give them a try. He respected people honest with themselves, who truly stuck to their morals no matter what. If the human decided to behave, he supposed that he could learn to respect them too. Fate only now would tell, what the human would decide to do, whether they would be happy with what they have, or move against causality in their bid to see everything.

It was odd, how this feeling had come to him after such a long time, the feeling to see it to the end, the feeling to move against his own odds. He was determined to stick around for the end now.

It all rested on one word.

Determination.

* * *

The human seemed as if she was feeling blue. No doubt, anyone with a heart would, if they were to hear that story. She really seemed to have done it this time around. She hadn't harmed anyone. Now, all that was left for her was to fight Asgore. But before that, he was going to have a little chat with her.

That's why he was standing in the Last Corridor, sunlight streaming through the barrier and illuminating the entire corridor. In a way, this place felt sacred, in appearance and also in the purpose it served. She slowly approached him, looking wary and uncertain.

"So, you have finally arrived. The end of your journey is at hand. In a few moments, you will meet the king. Together… You will determine the future of this world."

She nodded solemnly.

"That's then. Now, you will be judged. You will be judged for every action. You will be judged for every EXP you earned."

He slid his hands out of his pocket and steepled his fingers.

"What's EXP? It's an acronym. It stands for 'execution points.' A way of quantifying the pain you have inflicted on others. When you kill someone, your EXP increases. When you have enough EXP, your LOVE increases. LOVE, too, is an acronym. It stand for 'Level of Violence.' A way of measuring someone's capacity to hurt. The more you kill, the easier it becomes to distance yourself. The more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt. The more easily you can bring yourself to hurt others."

The look she was giving him was full of anticipation. He let his smile show.

"But you, you never gained any LOVE. Sure, that doesn't mean you're completely innocent or naïve, just that you kept a certain tenderness in your heart. Even when you ran away, you did with a smile. You never gained LOVE, but you gained love. Does that make any sense?"

She nodded, but he shrugged it off. He continued, "Now, you're about to face the greatest challenge of your journey, your actions here will determine the fate of the whole world. If you refuse to fight, Asgore will take your SOUL and wage war with humanity. If you kill Asgore, monsters will remain trapped underground. What will you do?"

She seemed oddly resigned on hearing this, as if she, herself was acknowledging the futility of any actions. He decided to share his own feelings.

"If I were you, I would've thrown in the towel by now. But you didn't get this far by just giving up, didn't you? Yes, you have something called 'determination'." Her face showed surprise, as if she wasn't expecting him to know of this. He gave her a patient smile, "So as long as you do what you believe, as long as you follow your heart, I know you'll do the right thing."

He wasn't lying. She had earned his respect for whatever she had done till now. Even if she were to reset on this path, he couldn't do anything. However, he couldn't mete out the punishment before the crime ,could he?

He summoned every bit of hope that he possessed and looked straight into her eyes. "All right, we're all counting on you, kid. Good luck." He meant it. Hopefully the human was determined enough by now. His work done, he disappeared, leaving her to face Asgore.

* * *

"Hey guys, what's up?" he slid into the room.

"That voice!" the boss monster was sporting a blooming blush when she came next to him. She slowly, hesitatingly said, "Hello, I think we may…know each other?"

No wonder she sounded so familiar!

"Oh hey, I recognize your voice too."

"I am Toriel. So nice to meet you."

"The name's Sans. And, uh same."

She immediately called his brother by name too. It was indeed the woman behind the closed door. The Queen of the Underground? Sans sure knew how to make interesting friends.

So lost was he in his thoughts, he hadn't realized that Alphys was speaking about a flower.

Wait.

A flower?

An intense pain tore through him, one he hadn't felt for a very long time. He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe. He was captive, along with all the others in the room except for the human, wrapped up in vines. There was a golden flower that was attacking the human.

A barrage of attacks from the other monsters was protecting the human from the flower's unavoidable attacks. He could hear Undyne shouting, "If you could get past me, you can get past anything!"

He couldn't summon any of his attacks. Not because of inability, but rather his desire to keep his abilities secret. Still, he could encourage the human.

"What, you haven't beaten this guy yet? C'mon, this weirdo's got nothing on you." The flower stared at him with hatred in its gaze. He resisted the urge to show off a smirking grin.

It looked like the inhabitants of the Underground really were rooting for the human. The flower was surrounded. It showed fear on its face.

A disturbing grin broke out on Flowey's face.

* * *

He didn't know where he was. Who was he? What was happening? It seemed like the only thing he could do was slip further into this depression, this depression which would not let his sleep during night, or cause him to doze-off anytime during the day. The utter feeling of hopelessness, in knowing that his choices didn't matter.

He could never go back home. He would never have the life he once had. What was the use in trying?

Someone approached him, telling him that they would think about what they did.

"Just give up, I did." He forlornly said back. He was too lazy to even attack this new person in his surroundings. They asked him whether he would like to have some food with them. Something about this person did feel familiar.

When he realized that the person was talking to someone beside him, his eyes opened. He saw the human. She was talking to his brother. He seemed to have awakened. She glanced at him.

"Don't sweat it. I am rooting for you, kid."

* * *

He was seeing something beautiful. A big ball of fire, disappearing into the horizon. The book from the 'Librarby' called it the Sun. Something he had never seen before.

Sure, Papyrus had to run away in his enthusiasm. _When will he get over his naivete_ , he mused. The humans might not be all too accommodating of a skeleton going ballistic in front of them. He announced, "Well, someone's going to have to keep him out of trouble," and left. He walked straight into the cavern.

He was hopeful, and grateful, no doubt. But all he could think about is whether Frisk would reset or not. Maybe she still wasn't happy? Why undo all that she's accomplished so far? He needed to clear his head.

He knew that the being with the highest amount of determination in the underground was the only being with the capability to reset and change timelines. Frisk would've achieved that status when she fell into the underground. Maybe inspecting that area might give him a clue. His mind made, he closed his eyes.

When he opened them once again, he found himself looking at a young boss monster, staring at a bed of golden flowers. This was new.

"Hey," he called out. The child gave a start, and turned around. He gave Sans a small smile, saying, "Howdy, Sans."

"You know me?"

"Better than most of the people in the Underground. I know you have come here because you have questions, questions that you need answered."

"You seem to know an eerie lot about me. Who are you? Considering your appearance, I'll have to guess you're some distant relative of Asgore? Or Toriel? I always thought they're the last boss monsters left."

"This might sound a bit strange. I am the flower, who had you captured a while back. My name in that form was Flowey."

Sans did not know how to respond to that. He just looked at him, jaw agape.

"In this form, my name is Asriel, Asriel Dreemurr. Prince of the underground. It is true that I'd died some time ago, but with the help of determination, I was reborn as a flower, possessing the ability of manipulating the timelines to a great extent."

Sans still did not know what to make of this.

"I know this is a lot to take in. To prove myself, I'll tell you a secret codeword."

Sans leaned in closer.

"I am the legendary fart-master."

"How do you know of this?"

"I told you, I could reset timelines a long time ago. Until Frisk came that is."

Sans took this cue, "Have I fought you before?"

Asriel smiled, "Yes. You've been responsible for most of my resets. Resets forced by the fact that I couldn't get past you. You are a dangerous adversary indeed."

Sans grinned back. It was a predatory grin.

"Why are you telling me all of this? What's in it for you?" Sans asked. He had to know of his intentions.

"It doesn't affect me one way or the other, Sans. I've done everything this world has to offer, and with Frisk in the picture, I am a victim of causality, just like you. The only thing I can do is pass some knowledge."

"What were you trying to pull off, when you had all of us captured?"

"This world isn't real Sans. But it still keeps a record of what we have done. A few things are so permanent that they cannot be changed by resets," he took a breath, "A being with determination equivalent to seven human SOULs, or higher, can employ a more powerful version of a reset. A True Reset. I had the power of seven equivalent human SOULs. I wished to go back to the time where I was happy."

"Why didn't you do it then?"

"Because, somehow, Frisk still had more determination that all those SOULs combined. Even as a god, I couldn't defeat her. That results in _her_ having this power." He finished his exposition.

"What are the chances that she would use it to send us all back?" Sans inquired. This was the most important question, one that needed to be answered at any cost.

"Frisk wouldn't do that. She's happy with her life." Asriel said.

"So I guess, this is the end of our troubles then?"

"I never said anything like that. Frisk might wield everything this power has to offer, but it depends on _them_ , they who control Frisk."

Sans paled. His worst fears were being confirmed.

"What do you mean?", he asked.

"Frisk is a vessel, Sans. A vessel which hosts a greater power. A power which even I don't understand. Frisk is the literal embodiment of their wishes in this world. Should this power choose, we all would be ripped apart from this timeline, and sent back." Asriel explained gently.

Sans had the same lines written down in his files. He had been too skeptical of it, not knowing where it originated from. To hear that same information being confirmed was eerie.

Asriel continued, "The previous manifestation of this power in this world was my sibling, the human child my family had adopted. She was the original vessel. To be honest, I had confused Frisk for her initially, but there is no mistaking the fact that Frisk is inhabited by this weird power, my sibling, or even both-"

Asriel's monologue was cut-off by the fact that he had started to shed his fur. Sans watched in shock as the goat child in front of him gradually turned green and yellow, eventually turning into a golden flower.

The flower sighed forlornly, "There's nothing more left to say Sans. This is all I know, and probably all what I can tell you," he took a pause, and looked down, "This is the story of my life, to remain trapped underground, with no hope of being happy ever again. I think you should go back Sans. There's nothing left for you here anyway."

"Let me make you a deal."

"What?"

"You gave me so much information. The least I can do is keep you company. I'll take some time everyday to come and talk to you."

"You'd do that?"

Sans looked into Flowey's eyes, detecting a hint of uncertainty in them.

"Sure."

* * *

 **AN: Yo! Long time no see, (already yet?). Well whatever. This chapter is spanking huge damnit, compared to what I have been rolling out before this. This is 5.5k words, about 175% extra than what I usually write. (Don't ask me how I know so much math). I am feeling really sleepy and wasted at the same time, I guess this ain't the best time to put this story up?**

 **Perhaps I really manage to waste your time as if it is worth nothing? Whatever again. I am going to keep the chapters something between 4k words to 5k words from now on, so don't expect much frequent updates.**

 **I know I can only ask, but please do review if you read the story. It is always refreshing to read your thoughts. (I know writing a review takes time, but so does writing these stories). Even so, I'll keep this on, because it really is a refreshing activity for me. Don't expect anything for a few weeks now.**

 **The chapters have increased in the length due to me being more comfortable writing bigger chapters and stuff. We will have one more chapter that sidetracks to Deltarune. Chapter 6 will cover the Genocide Route(I know that's what you people really want). After this, we'll have the point of convergence of both the stories, and how they relate to each other.**

 **Those files Sans has are the stuff of conspiracy theorist nightmares, so hold them tight!**

 **Au revoir, mes amis. Je pense que cette histoire va bien. Merci beaucoup pour votre temps! (No I'm not French, I just know La Langue).**


	5. Dream

**AN: This chapter changes perspectives between Kris and Lancer**

* * *

 _Kris_

She didn't feel so good. Waking up was usually terrible, seeing how difficult it was, to find a reason to get out of bed. Today was different though, it was as if someone had forced her to drink something she didn't want to drink (like the castor oil her mother had once tried to feed her). It came to her mind that there was a reason why she'd woken up.

"You'll be late for school again, Kris. Hurry up, we need to leave the house as soon as possible!"

School. Boring place indeed. She swung her legs out of bed, slowly getting up, glancing right ahead. Her brother's bed seemed to call out to her, reminding her of what she'd lost. Her own part of the room, in contrast, seemed out of place and forced upon this paradise of a home. She shook her head and clambered out, pausing at the window to spare a glance outside.

It was a beautiful day. The morning birdsong was sweet. Shaking her head once again, she turned, heading for the door, sparing a glance to her left. She recoiled on seeing the sight that greeted her.

A battered cage sat atop a wagon, a decoration she'd never seen before. The cage was rusty, and looked ancient. That was new, she'd never seen anything like that before in her room. Frowning, she walked over to her brother's bed, staring at it for one last time.

The emotions that had gathered in her throat were too much for her. She hated him, hated him for leaving, hated him for making her feel like this. Didn't he realize how bad life was for her anyway? She hated herself too, for being so vulnerable, being so dependent on him.

She turned around and marched out of her room, determined to set her act straight. After quickly answering nature's call, she rushed out of the house, lest her mother got annoyed at her for taking so much time.

"Oh Kris! You're finally here. We'll have to hurry since we're already late." On that cue, both mother and daughter entered the car, her mother on the wheel. She hummed quietly to herself, before turning to look at Kris.

"Kris, it is a beautiful day outside, is it not?"

Kris gave her mother a slight nod. Toriel kept humming, before continuing, "Just a week left before Asriel returns home. I wonder, if after the excitement of university, will he want to return home once again?"

 _Uh-oh._

She literally could have said anything else. But her mother had a penchant for unknowingly scratching her deepest cuts. She was close to addressing her biggest fears. Feeling a burning behind her eyes, she quickly looked outside the window, letting a tear fall.

* * *

She realized she was being a bit unfair with her mother, after the warm hug she'd just received. Her mother didn't deliberately try to hurt her. She had a difficult life too, just like her daughter and her husband.

 _Former husband_.

She still couldn't understand for the life of her, that why her mother hated her father so much. He was a simple and kind man, with simple platitudes and goals. Maybe it was something she would understand when she would grow up.

Lost in thoughts, she arrived at her classroom. Too bad Alphys had already started teaching. It wasn't a big deal though, Alphys was pretty chill with regards to being punctual.

* * *

 _Susie. . ._

Her back collided against the metal on the locker. It wasn't a problem, for she'd weathered worse. Susie's face was dangerously close to hers, her mouth open and frothing. Didn't she believe in oral hygiene? It smelled terrible indeed.

Kris knew enough from experience, to call out on a bluff. Susie was merely bluffing. Despite the tough exterior she was trying to project on to Kris, she was one with a soft heart. Kris gave no indication to call it off. _Let her do whatever she wants. It isn't as if I can't take care of myself._

Kris felt herself fall, feeling a sharp impact on her bottom. She resisted the urge to smile. Susie had already explained why she wouldn't bite Kris's face off. She stepped back from Kris, before regaling Kris with a plan on today's assignment. With a threatening look, Susie asked, "What do you think of it?"

Kris had barely opened her mouth to respond before Susie pre-empted her.

"Don't bother answering. Your choices don't matter, if you haven't gotten it by now."

What a joke. Kris resisted the urge to laugh, having already known this firsthand. By now, she had also forgotten her extremely emotional, uncalled for behavior in the morning.

Susie motioned her to follow along. Getting up, she walked leisurely, at a sedate pace.

"What's the matter? Not used to walking around without someone holding your hand?" Susie taunted.

 _Do I really look like someone who gives a damn?_ Kris thought, ignoring Susie's words and walking at that same, sedate pace. The hike to the cupboard was uneventful enough. Gazing at the cupboard, Kris felt a strange foreboding.

Susie stepped ahead and pushed the cupboard open, to reveal a pitch black darkness. A darkness so intense, that it seemed to suck out the light from the very surroundings itself. Kris took a small step back, her instincts warning her not to enter this place.

As she predicted, Susie turned out to be a big wimp too. They decided to enter the cupboard together.

The cupboard was very narrow, and was littered with papers all over the floor. Susie went in deeper and deeper, Kris quietly following behind. To think that this cupboard was _this_ long. Susie seemed to have been mirroring her thoughts.

"Quite a long closet huh? To think we must have reached the end by now…"

This activity was turning out to be singularly the most unproductive activity they could do. Kris stifled a yawn behind her hand. Susie seemed to have approached the same conclusion, prompting Kris to move out of the closet.

They approached the closet door, seeking the light entering from the corridor outside. Just as they reached the threshold however, the door shut on their faces.

"Hey!", Susie cried out indignantly. She grabbed the door handle and began shaking the door in a futile attempt to open it. Kris's attention was drawn to the floor, since the strewn papers had began to shake. They began to fall down in a line, until the floor beneath their feet gave away too. Susie let out a gasp of surprise.

Kris just felt a strange tingling in her stomach.

* * *

 _Lancer_

RK wasn't interested in playing with him. The soldiers had basically shooed him away. His dad, well, better stay away from his dad. He seemed to be in a foul mood perennially, even though he was the king of the dark world, courtesy of the Knight.

He still didn't know what had happened to his one-time friend, Jevil. It was as if he had been removed from the memory of all Darkners. Only Seam seemed to have some idea, and he wasn't one to tell Lancer.

Which meant that Lancer was left to his own devices, looking for some new ways to have fun. He was exploring an area he hadn't ever seen before in the dark world, some place behind the empty town before the fields.

He was surrounded by large piles of … dust? The surrounding were also very weird, made of cliffs and plateaus made of some whitish-purple material. He had got nothing better to do here either. Maybe he would be better of getting something from the bake sale.

Just as he turned about to leave, a movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention. It was two shapes, moving, but too far away to make out clearly. They certainly were approaching in his direction.

As quickly as he could, Lancer mounted his bike and scaled it up the top of a cliff and perched himself on the ledge, muttering a curse when his leg was scratched by a sharp outcrop of the rock. He watched the two figures patiently, as they made their way towards his cliff.

When they had arrived just below him, Lancer started waving his arm excitedly at them. He squinted to get a closer look. It was, a blue girl? And a purple girl? This was new, he'd never seen anyone like them ever before. The girls seemed to have noticed him by now.

The purple girl sent a menacing look at him, her eyes full of malice. Lancer faltered. The girl made a threatening gesture. Lancer was scared now, he had to protect himself. He twisted his raised hand, summoning a set of spades.

The two people ran, attempting to dodge his spades.

* * *

 _Kris_

The prophecy was… rather off putting she would say. Many things did not make sense. First all of, why were these supposed heroes ending at the world's end. If it was to be her, Susie, and this new dude, well, she didn't see the world ending anytime soon. The second thing, why would they want to banish an Angel's heaven? Her family believed in heaven and Angels.

Whatever, she would humor this prince till required.

The prince, other prince, Lancer? Why were there two princes to this world? Lancer had tried to fight them. She recognized him as the silhouette that had been following them in the previous area she and Susie had been in. A real oddball, if she were to say.

It took her some time to realize that Susie was no longer with them, she'd been lost in her thoughts for so long. She looked across the room, to find Ralsei's gaze on her. Something about that gaze unsettled her. That look…

He must've realized that she must have caught him staring. He blushed and led her out of the room, following her wherever she went. They stopped by at a training dummy.

"Oh Kris! I realized that you and Susie are new to this world, and might not have an idea on how to deal with enemies in this world. Would you like to give me a tutorial?" Ralsei asked.

"Sure."

The tutorial turned out to be quite fun. She especially liked how easily she could mess around with Ralsei. A single hug could completely fluster him. In her mind, she had long decided that whoever this lonely prince was, he was looking out for her. He was a friend.

They left the dummy behind. Ralsei was still behind her. They slowly walked through the dark cavern, before Ralsei prompted her.

"You know you can run, right Kris?"

Kris chafed, she'd heard this too many times in one day. She took care not to take it out on the prince behind her. She still walked at the same sedate pace she'd been in since the beginning of the day. Eventually, the two of them reached a giant door, one that was opened ajar.

"This is how Lancer must have gotten through to here." Ralsei muttered.

Kris made to move past the door, but this time Ralsei had held her arm, preventing her from moving forward. She turned back, a questioning look on her face. Ralsei spoke, " I feel this might be a lot to ask Kris, but I do want to tell you something."

Kris nodded. Taking this cue, Ralsei continued, "We are heroes, and we carry with us the fate of the world. Our actions here have a direct impact on the world as a whole. So, if it is not too much to ask, Kris, can we avoid FIGHTing any enemies in particular?"

She mentally snorted. Just this morning she was told that her choices didn't matter. How would her choice matter in a world she didn't know, a world which she'd only heard about from a prince whose only purpose of existence was to meet her.

But right now, he was there with her. If not for anyone else's sake, but for the sake of this prince, who, for reasons she didn't know, would give her a kind smile, would look at her with adoration in his eyes. He acted as if he needed her, that she gave him purpose.

She realized that she'd been standing a little too close to him, and that he'd been blushing furiously this entire time.

Kris gave him a small smile in return, making sure that he would not regret meeting her at all.

* * *

The shopkeeper was a weird one indeed, she mused to herself. In a way, he seemed to have been hammering the same lesson in, once again.

 _Your choices don't matter._

The number of times this had come up, Kris felt nauseous. She didn't even know what was happening anymore, what this world was, why was she the one to come here.

They were slowly making their way across the fields, encountering the kingdom's soldiers. She had taken special care not to harm any of them, and was even trying to make sure that they stayed aware of Susie's attacks. It was a curious thing indeed, that the Darkners knew how to dodge attacks.

She could see a tiled floor, red and black in the distance. Standing directly in front of them however, was Lancer.

"Ho ho ho, if it isn't my favorite clowns. Too bad that you've reached till here, because now my troo-"

"Shut up. Just shut up." If anything to go by, Susie's low growl definitely complimented the threat. Lancer looked taken aback, as if he hadn't expected this turn of events.

"Ho ho ho? What is that even supposed to mean. You've been doing this ever since we've seen you." Susie continued, the undercurrent of threat still palpable in her voice.

"Oh that? That's my evil laugh." Lancer replied easily.

"You sound like baby Santa Claus." Susie stepped towards Lancer, popping her knuckles. "Let me tell you a secret, dork. Wannabe bad guys like you piss me off. You wouldn't know evil if it was staring right into your face." By then Susie had reached Lancer and had placed a hand on his shoulder.

"T-that's not true." Lancer said in a small voice. Kris really felt sorry for the kid. If anything, he looked really lonely. She was surprised why Ralsei hadn't said anything yet. She looked to her left. Ralsei was watching the scene with horrified awe.

"Well, then. WHY NOT JUST PROVE IT! We'll start with the part where your face gets bitten!" Susie was cackling maniacally by now and had brought Lancer's face very close to hers, a scarily uncanny replay of today morning.

Kris was about to speak up, when she saw Lancer blink, a smile crossing his face.

"Oh, I get it! Thank you purple girl! It was kind of you."

Susie faltered, letting out an undignified squawk of confusion.

"Thank you for showing me how to laugh properly." Lancer freed himself from Susie's loosened grip and stepped back. He continued, "Now my troops will come to thrash you!" and ran away, letting out a horrible imitation of the same laugh Susie had just given a few moments ago.

True to his word, a necklace of Rudinns and Hathys came to them.

"Well, I guess that's an improvement." Kris heard Susie mutter.

* * *

 _Lancer_

He cackled maniacally, hoping that she would be impressed. She was easily the coolest person he'd ever met in his life. He would do anything to be friends with her. In his laughter, he pushed forward a bucket that he'd been hiding behind his body.

"Well, well, it seems that you've reached the halfway of the Great Board, meaning that you've finished half of your journey till Card Castle. Worry not, my troops will come ahead, and smash you into bloody bits." Lancer monologued, really hoping _she_ would take attention.

No reaction.

He had to try. "Was that better purple girl?"

She blushed and sputtered, "Why are you asking me?"

"Oh because you are cool. I want to be just like you!" he smiled at her. She wore a disbelieving expression on her face, shaking her head. She stepped forward and asked him, with uncertainty in her voice. "Y-you, want to be like me?"

"Yeah!"

Well, she was back to her old self now. In a gruff tone, she said, "That's very stupid. Also, that was actually good, and uh, the new laugh isn't so bad. That reminds me, where are those troops you mentioned?"

Lancer felt a little embarrassed, but anyways blurted out, "Well, I was so excited that I forgot to bring any."

She shook her head in amusement, her attention now falling on the bucket between them. "Uh, what's the bucket for?" she asked.

"Oh this? It is for collecting the blood. You see, I am not-uh-allowed to make a mess." Lancer bit his lip. Susie looked at him strangely.

Lancer remembered bleeding once. It had hurt quite a lot. A Darkner would start bleeding in extremely rare circumstances, when their bodies were damaged beyond a certain point. Usually when hurt, they would run away, or fall asleep. It would take an extraordinarily strong attack to make a Darkner bleed.

Lancer had been hurt like that, when he'd fallen from the uppermost rampart of Card Castle. It had taken days for the court physician to heal him.

He shook himself out of his reverie, focusing on the group in front of him. He began, "You know, I am a bit bored of calling you guys clowns every time we meet. Why don't you decide on a proper name for your team?"

* * *

The Fun Gang walked up to him, Kris and Susie giving him indulgent smiles. He slowly walked up to them, saying, "If I were you, I wouldn't want to go any further. A dangerous beast lies ahead."

Susie asked, "What is this thing? I am sure it's no match for us."

Lancer replied, "Well I won't spoil it for you. You can go ahead and have a look for yourself."

The four of them moved forward, Lancer stepping aside to reveal a red disc that was dancing to its own tune.

Susie let out snort, "That little thing? It is no match for us."

Lancer threw a disbelieving expression at her, "Wait purple girl, you're not afraid?"

Even Ralsei looked, relieved? He said, "We've already dealt with one of those before Lancer. What does it do exactly?" As if on cue, a golden crown fell from the heavens, falling squarely on the head of the disc. It grew in size, spreading its legs apart, moving towards the four people standing near it.

"It stomps people to death, I think." Lancer replied.

* * *

This was so much fun. Susie wanted to hang out with him. She had the weirdest of ideas, but she really seemed to be having the time of her life too. The blue person and Ralsei had gone out of their way to design a machine for the Dark Fun Gang, which was also sweet.

He and Susie spotted a couple of soldiers. He beckoned them over and ordered them to lay out recliners for him and his new friend. His pleasant thoughts continued as he stretched on his own recliner, feeling the wind kiss his face as the soldier fanned him with a green fan.

The dense forest loomed in front of them, but he really didn't feel bothered by it, even though he'd never bothered to learn its routes. The now Fun Gang, only of two members, walked up to them, both of them looking amused at seeing them lounging.

Lancer now had began to wonder. The members of the Fun Gang, with the sole exception of Susie, didn't seem to have any malevolent intentions towards the people of his race. Why did his father then hate them with an intensity that almost bordered on the religious?

They really hadn't hurt any of the soldiers they had met until now, and were much more accommodating of him. Susie had obviously joined his own side. Even Ralsei, who was quick to criticize and berate him for every small issue, looked as if he was warming up to him.

That was just not it. Looking around his kingdom, Lancer saw many things. His father wasn't the most loved person in the kingdom. The only reason why he sat atop his current throne was due to the sole fact that the Knight had put him on that position, disregarding the authority of the Council of the Card Kings.

He also realized something else. There were no Queens. Lancer knew that he had a mother, since his dad would sometimes talk about her. She wasn't to be seen though, and for the life of him, Lancer could not recall If he'd ever seen her or not. Surely someone would notice, if the Queen of Spades went missing, right?

This led him to question something he had never understood. Had she disappeared in the same way Jevil had? He remembered his friend, one who would play with him and take care of him whenever he fell into trouble. Rumors were that Jevil had been killed, when he had retaliated and tried to evade capture for some crime. The throne room in Card Castle still bore the marks from that fight, the denizens of the world would whisper to one another.

Enough speculation! He forced himself out of his thoughts and followed Susie, to have one last battle with Fun Gang, to see who would become the victor.

* * *

He ran away from the Fun Gang, too guilty to speak to them. He could see them chasing him, calling out his name. Troops had began to line up the path till Card Castle. As he entered the gates, he spared one last glance at his dear friends, as they tried to evade capture, still trying to catch up to him. They were bound eventually, and carted off to the dungeons.

He had to make sure that they would be alright, at any costs.

Hence, after having a quick snack, offered by one of the servants in the castle, he snuck out to meet RK, his lesser dad.

"Lancer, thouest may have wishes to befriendest the Lightners, but thoust shall not do that. Thy father will not forgive you if you do that, and moi shalt be forced to stop thee from walkest on that dark path." RK delivered in that _oh-so_ sweet accent of his.

Lancer frowned. Usually RK would humor Lancer with his wishes, but this time, he clearly wasn't going to assist him. Lancer scratched his head, wondering what should do next.

The answer came to him as he walked down to the dungeons. He beckoned to a guard manning one of the doors in the dungeon.

"Make sure that the Lightners don't escape. You are to stop them from leaving at any costs. Especially the purple one. Make sure they stay here. Do you understand?"

Before the guard could nod his approval, the door behind them opened, to reveal Susie with a disbelieving expression on her face. Lancer recoiled in shock, and ushered the guard away with a frantic gesture of his arms.

Seeing him flustered, Susie blustered, "Hey Lancer, we've been looking for you for so long! Kris and Ralsei are still locked up. Come with me and help me free them. Also, what were you-" Lancer softly cut her off.

"I can't let you people out of here. In fact, it was me who told my guards to put you down here. Please go back to your cell Susie."

Susie's face immediately contorted into an expression of hurt. She said with a very small voice, "I thought we were a team. Aren't we friends Lancer?"

Lancer quickly held up his hands in an effort to placate her, stuttering out, "Susie, it's not what you think it is! Let me explain-"

Susie cut him off, "No, save it. I get it. Really. I get it, you know?" She closed her eyes and clenched her fists.

"Why would anyone want to be my friend anyway?" she whispered out, brokenhearted.

When she opened her eyes again, they were alight with malice. A malice he had never seen in her before. She told him to get out of her way. He refused.

Susie swung her axe threateningly in front of her, ready to attack. He gulped nervously.

She attacked him relentlessly, muttering throughout her attacks. Lancer took every hit, feeling that he deserved it. His heart was aching, triggered by the fact that he was probably going to lose another friendship, forever.

Eventually, he gave up attacking her, letting his attacks completely miss her, not wanting to hurt her any further. She mocked him, taunted him, insulted him. But he did not attack her. His body grew weaker and weaker with every blow of her axe.

She stood threateningly over him, him cowering in pain and fear. This was it. One more attack from her, and he would bleed. A few more, he would probably die. He lowered his head, prepared for the final blow from her.

It never came. She had restrained herself and had placed and arm on his shoulder, begging him to let her go.

"No Susie. If I let you go, you will fight my father, and eventually, someone will get hurt. I don't want to see that happen." He whispered.

"Then I won't fight him. I'll talk my way out of it, just like how Kris and Ralsei do. I promise." She whispered back solemnly, catching the trembling Lancer in a one-armed hug.

* * *

 _Kris_

She'd ignored the person in the prison. He'd been … _interesting_ to talk to, but she couldn't afford to be diverted from her main purpose. If she came here someday else, maybe, she would see what the man in the prison had to offer.

By now, they'd reached the top of Card Castle, ready for their one final confrontation with the king, Lancer's dad. She was surprised, well maybe not surprised, but shocked, that it was on behalf of _Lancer_ , that Susie would change her ways.

Maybe he meant a lot to her, for her to promise something like this.

They'd entered the throne room. It showed signs of a battle, with all the marks and cracks along the wall. Whichever fight had taken place here, had clearly been _ugly_. They reached the open ramparts of the Castle, to see two silhouettes in the distance. A small one she clearly recognized as Lancer, and a gigantic replica of the same silhouette.

 _The king of spades._

It was strange, how the king of spades had risen to power, instead of any of the other kings that could've been.

It was also funny, how the people seemed to call him the Chaos King, rather than the King of Spades.

Coming out of her thoughts, Kris heard the conversation that was taking place between Lancer and his father.

"Free yourself Lancer. They care not for you. They. Are. Scum."

"No they're not."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!" with a mighty roar the king had picked up his son by his throat and held him over the ramparts. If he were to drop him…

Susie had had enough of it. She swung her axe. Following suit, Kris drew her own sword out and Ralsei readied his scarf.

The king noticed this, merely saying, "Drop your weapons Lightners. Or else I'll drop him over the edge and let you watch him splatter on the ground."

The three of the reluctantly put their weapons away.

"Now kneel, as it is appropriate of you. At my feet, Lightners!" the King bellowed. All of them knelt down.

SNAP!

A spade flew towards the King, impaling him in his back. He promptly dropped Lancer in surprise, Lancer fleeing from the scene. The king managed to bellow out, "COME BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE TRAITOR-", before being cut-off by Susie, who managed to swing her axe in his face, and growled out in a feral manner.

"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!"

The King paused, before responding in a silky tone. "To my people, I am a savior, a hero."

He continued, "To you Lightners, I'm the bad guy," in an almost cruelly appropriate fashion, echoing Lancer's words, the words he'd first spoken in the Empty town.

* * *

The battle was short-lived. Eventually, the king tired out, and offered mercy.

They took it.

How could they be so naïve?

These were the thoughts that flashed through Kris's mind as she lay prone on the ground, heavily injured by the King's sneak attack. By now, he'd come straight to her and picked her up. He taunted her.

She didn't give him the satisfaction of a reaction, which seemed to anger him even more. In a low, threatening growl, he said, "Let me tell you a little secret. Quiet people piss me off." A volley of spades materialized over her head.

He dropped her. Kris realized that Susie had smacked him right in the back with her axe. Her heart warmed at this action of hers. Maybe Susie really was her friend now.

Eventually, the crowd came and took him away.

* * *

It was tiring to say her goodbyes to everyone, but it was all worth it. They'd freed a desolate land from the rule of a tyrant. Although with Lancer sitting on the throne, she really did not know what to expect.

What was most important right now, was to say goodbye to the one person, who had followed her unconditionally, without any questions. It was strange. Why was he so nice to her? He treated her with such affection, affection which she was sure she had experienced before in her life.

He seemed to have realized that she and Susie were leaving too, for he walked up to them and asked tentatively.

"Kris, Susie, are you leaving already?"

Susie affirmed with a simple yes. Kris just nodded her head. Ralsei covered his face with his hands, mumbling into his hat.

"I wanted to say, that I really enjoyed spending time with you-"

"Can you speak any louder, or what? Can barely hear you mumbling through your hat dude." Susie interrupted.

"Oh this? Let me remove it." He lifted his hat.

Her heart rate sped up considerably seeing the visage hidden by the hat for so long. It was a boss monster. And not just any boss monster. Ralsei was a splitting image of her brother, when her brother had been young. Her heart pounded painfully against her ribcage, unsure of her own emotions.

Susie recoiled with immense shock, completely disgruntled.

Kris barely paid any attention to what this doppelganger of her brother said. She walked away with Susie to the second fountain, her mind in a complete haze.

They stood over the fountain, watching her SOUL rise up toward it, emitting a blinding light in all directions.

* * *

 **AN: Hi guys! This chapter was a pain to write, but we've gotten it through! I hope you like it.**

 **Ahem... till now I've been basically writing summaries for in-game canon, haven't I (actually no lol :P). But fear not. This is the fifth chapter of our story. The next chapter will be the last jump to Undertale as a whole, and will address the Genocide Route (I've been waiting to start working on it, and you've been waiting for it too, I know). The next chapter will also serve as a culmination point where all plot lines in this story will converge. Mind you, the real fanfiction will start from Chapter 7 onward. The first 6 chapters were just for setting up the complicated characters and universes of these amazing games.**  
 **The way I see this play out, we'll probably have two parallel timelines post Chapter 6 (so far it has been canon Undertale and Deltarune in two different timelines). These post Chapter 6 timelines, well, the story that follows will probably be based around only one of them. I might keep the other timeline to add content, but I am not a big fan of the idea. (Jumping timelines here and there so much will probably serve to confuse all of you)**

 **The other thing that I can do is to develop the other timeline in a separate fanfic that'll be a companion to this original fanfiction. That sounds way more elegant. Again, all of this is for you, the readers and hence I'll take your views into account before deciding on this. So therefore, mes amis, do rate and review this fanfiction, and let me know your thoughts about how I should manage this story. Thank you all for your valuable time. Au revoir.**


	6. Brutality

**AN: I forgot to mention this in the previous chapter, but do check out insaneintherainmusic's cover of "Field of Hopes and Dreams", a great cover indeed.**

 **While you're at it, let me also suggest you to have a look at the Second Narrator's orchestral covers of both "Battle Against A True Hero" and "MEGALOVANIA". They're quite lit in my opinion.  
**

* * *

 **AN2: This chapter is dark in some places (notice the pun though?). Reader discretion is advised.  
**

* * *

 _Sans_

" _When the light is running low,_

 _And the shadows start to grow,_

 _And the places that you know,_

 _Seem like fantasy. . ._

 _There's a light inside your soul,_

 _That's still shining in the cold,_

 _With the truth, the promise in our hearts._

 _Don't forget, I'm with you in the dark."_

He awoke with a jolt. As he opened his eyes, he noticed that his vision was blurry. Was he crying? His hand reached towards his face, and indeed, he felt the wetness on his cheekbone.

He hadn't cried since ages, even suffering through this horrible depression and whatnot. No, it was something else that had triggered him. That song, he hadn't heard it in a long time. It was something he had heard when he was a child, but he couldn't place it correctly. He couldn't remember if anyone had ever sung it to him.

He could Papyrus making something in the kitchen downstairs. _What are the chances that it would be spaghetti,_ he mused to himself. It was going to be another pointless day in his pointless life. Smirking at his own dark thoughts, he swung his legs out of his bed. His gaze fell on the treadmill in his room. Maybe he could do with some exercise today.

Why was he breaking his routine? Simple, he needed to exert some form of control on the world around him. It was the least he could do in a world which was not permanent.

* * *

 _Your choices don't matter._

This statement now seemed even more poignant, as he collapsed due to exhaustion, his body covered with a sheen of perspiration. Using the treadmill really seemed to be pointless. He shook his head, eventually getting up, and walking up to his closet. A change of clothes wouldn't hurt him. Too bad that his closet had multiple sets of the same outfit.

* * *

The sound of boots crunching through the snow reached him. He immediately stepped out of the forest clearing and hid himself behind the trees. The footsteps tore through the muffling silence, a silence which he knew to be undisturbed except for the times when he would come to visit _her_. He cursed silently under his breath, preparing himself for what had to come.

The kid walked right past him, without ever noticing. He grinned wider. _This would be fun._

Whatever he did, to get the child's attention, or to indicate her of his presence was in futile. The kid walked without giving a care in the world for her surroundings. He had to make one last attempt. Squaring his shoulders, he casually stalked her. She must've heard his footsteps by the time she'd reached the bridge, for she'd stopped moving altogether.

"Human."

No reaction.

"Don't you know how to greet a new pal?"

The kid remained unresponsive.

"Turn around and shake my hand." He stuck out his hand.

The child turned around. Sans got to see her face. Her eyes were squinty, but managing to be open at the same time. Her mouth was set in a thin line, but the slightest of smiles was gracing her expression. The smile was unnerving.

She took his hand in hers. The sound of a whoopee cushion broke the deafening silence of the woods. Her expression didn't change in the slightest.

"Heheh. . . the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. It's ALWAYS funny."

Sans felt an unease trickle down his spine. The lack of reaction was bone chilling.

"That's uh, your cue to laugh. Or to emote at all?" He said tentatively. No response.

 _Well better get this over with then. Gee, you really know how to pick them, huh lady?_

"That's okay, everyone has got their own sense of humor. Anyways, I am Sans. Sans the skeleton," he went on, as he had rehearsed for any human he would encounter in this area.

* * *

He had shown his cards too quickly, he realized, when he'd asked the kid to keep pretending to be a human. His magic had been flaring ever since he'd met the kid, indicating her high Level Of Violence. It would be troublesome, and inconvenient if she were to follow this path. He needed to get her back on track.

He'd been engrossed in his thoughts for so long, that he'd almost missed the flash of yellow in front of his eyes. He called out, "Show yourself!"

The golden flower sprang up from the ground in front of him, a mysterious smirk on its face. It cackled out, "So the skeleton finally realizes! This would be something I would love to watch!"

Sans raised his brow, "What do you mean?"

Flowey looked at him with glee in his eyes, "Finally have I got a human who's willing to walk down a path I could never complete! She's special, Trashbag. I know it for a fact."

Sans shrugged and said, "That's good for you. Care to tell me what she's done so far?"

Flowey threw him an odd look, before asking, "And why would I want to tell you that?"

"You seem too excited. Also, I get the feeling that you're anticipating something."

"Hee hee, you really are a master at reading expressions. Okay, I'll tell you this one bit," he dropped his voice to a whisper. Sans leaned in closer to listen to him.

" _She wiped out everyone in the Ruins._ " He delivered his line with a disturbing smile on his face. Sans's own grin faltered, he hadn't anticipated that the situation would be _this_ bad. He needed to alert everyone, make sure they would be safe.

But it wasn't permanent, wasn't it? She would reset at the end once again, starting out on a new path. That would be okay, except for one thing.

His files explicitly mentioned that the highest value of LOVE a human could possess was twenty. A human with such power could easily wipe out the universe, along with all of its timelines. This would all turn into a void, with no hopes of anything being okay, ever again.

Flowey had started cackling once again, saying, "You're considering it, aren't you? Whether you want to take the human down or not? I don't see why it should matter, when you clearly won't kill her in another timeline. You've given up on this world after all."

Sans ignored the flower in favor of his own thoughts. He turned to look at the flower, saying, "I am pretty sure you're not opposed to her actions. I'll take your leave now, flower."

Sans disappeared in front of Flowey's eyes. With a chuckle Flowey muttered, "Do your best, Trashbag. I' m really curious in seeing how the Underground deals with her. I'm sure Chara is having her fun too." With those words, he too left the woods. He had to help his sibling on her path.

* * *

So far, so bad. The turn events were taking was less and less in his favor. He'd been checking on the royal guards, to make sure they were there. He couldn't find even a single one of them, no matter where he looked.

To make matters worse, the kid was showing no signs of interest in any of the encounters of her with him and his brother. Well, it was no use trying to reason with the human. Sans had to make sure that as many people as possible remained safe.

He had called Alphys, explaining the situation to her. She'd been in a panic initially, but they had managed to come up with a plan, which involved transporting Snowdin's population to someplace safe. He counted on the unfortunate monsters in the forest, hoping that they would delay the human long enough for the citizens to evacuate, the ferry working overtime.

He was now standing with his brother at the end of the wooden bridge, Papyrus clearly in anticipation and excitement at getting to use his final trap. He struck up a conversation with his brother.

"Say Papyrus, what do you think of the human?"

"Why are you asking this Sans?" Papyrus asked, clearly confused.

"Don't you think that she is a bit odd?" Sans needed to make sure that his brother knew exactly what they were dealing with. If he didn't play it safe, there was always the chance the Papyrus would get himself killed.

Papyrus, oblivious to the storm inside Sans's head, said, "She surely is quite odd, I've never seen anyone who hates puzzles the way she does. Apart from that-" his face darkened. Sans caught on quickly, and took this cue.

"What, Papyrus?"

"The look on her face Sans. It's as if she doesn't like the world around her. Her hands are always coated in powder. I have a feeling that she isn't a very great person." Papyrus finished, looking at his shoes.

Sans sighed in relief. At least his brother had the presence of mind to realize the gravity of the situation they were in. His relief, however, was short-lived, as he heard the next words that came out of his brother's mouth.

"That's why we are here, aren't we Sans? To help her get back on the right track? She looks like she could use a friend to hang around with, so that she could have her mind off from all the dangerous thoughts she might be having. That's what you want me to do, right Sans? Be her friend?" Papyrus finished with a smile.

"NO Papyrus. I don't want you to do that at all! What I want you to do is to leave her be, and go on your own merry path. Don't bother capturing her, we could always do with another human!" Sans said frantically.

Papyrus waved a hand at his brother, "Don't worry about it Sans, I'll make sure I steer her on the right track. I'd hoped you would have more faith in my abilities."

Sans shook his head, "I have faith in your abilities bro. I don't have faith in her intentions. Please leave her be. Let's leave this place, and go to Undyne's. She'll be more than happy to have us."

"I don't understand you Sans. You wouldn't help someone in need? How do you expect her to put faith in you, when you're not willing to do the same with her?" Papyrus reasoned.

"Do you know what she has done Papyrus? Have you seen any of the dogs? You know what she's capable of, and yet you would throw your life away for a few whims of yours?" Sans retorted.

"I'll not ask you to follow me blindly, Sans. It's your choice. If you can't support me in this decision, at least don't oppose me in it." Papyrus placed his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Please, Papyrus. Why won't you listen to me? Please, for my sake." Sans begged.

"You'll be happy when you see how much she has changed Sans." Sans realized that there was no way he could convince Papyrus otherwise. His brother had made his decision. He gave a sigh and looked his brother squarely in the eye.

"Promise that you'll stay safe, Papyrus."

"I will, Sans."

The sound of footsteps alerted them to the human's arrival near the bridge's end.

* * *

"Guess we didn't need your help to have a good time after all."

She looked at him strangely, still with the tiny smile on her face.

"Say, I've been thinking. Seems like you're going to fight my brother pretty soon. Here's some friendly advice"

She leaned in to hear his words better.

"If you keep going the way you are now," his pupils dilated and his voice went into a low growl, "You're gonna have a bad time." With that ominous warning, he teleported right away.

He was not going to lie. He was not one to give open threats. But when he did, they mattered a lot.

* * *

He watched by the sidelines as Papyrus opened his arms in front of the human, there at the human's mercy. It was at that moment Sans's respect for his brother grew tenfold. To see that not only Papyrus was not scared of what stood in front of him, but to offer the best opposition to a person like that.

Papyrus was setting the better example, by offering mercy to someone who probably didn't deserve it. He was appealing to the human's heart, hoping that she would find the mercy in her heart too.

Many would've been swayed by what was just happening.

The fist that hit his brother straight in his torso clearly indicated that she didn't believe in Papyrus's ideals, and clearly hadn't been swayed. He watched in horror, as his brother's body dissolved into dust, merely leaving his head behind.

Papyrus, with the last of his strength, croaked out, "Well, that was not what I expected."

She stepped forward, her fist cocked back for dealing another strike.

"But still, I believe in you! You can do a little better, even if you don't think so!"

Sans closed his eyes, letting his fists close in righteous fury.

"I promise."

And Papyrus was gone. Just like that.

* * *

Whatever was walking around and killing, might've been the human, but Sans hardly recognized her actions as those of a human. It was as if something else inhabited her, this anomaly, a being he'd read descriptions of in his files.

The anomaly didn't come from this world, he was sure of that. He wasn't sure of who this anomaly was, or what they looked like. He figured that the anomaly was unhappy, that they would continue in this meaningless cycle.

If he were to guess correctly, he would have to conclude that the anomaly had tried everything else that this world had to offer to them, for them to walk such a dark path, via this vessel of a human, this vessel of determination.

The one thing he was sure of, however, was that the anomaly had no conscience. If they had any, Undyne would not have to jump in to take the hit, a hit directed at an innocent child.

Sans watched from a distance, as Undyne lost her grip on the world, the wound cutting across her body, her body slowly dissolving into dust.

If anything, this would terribly affect the morale of the monsters left alive. He had made sure that Snowdin was evacuated, Waterfall was mostly uninhabited. Alphys would now have to scurry to get Hotland to safety.

As he turned, about to leave the place, he heard Undyne. He realized that she'd been speaking for quite a while now. He could barely make her words out.

"Human. No, whatever you are. For the sake of the whole world, I, UNDYNE, WILL STRIKE YOU DOWN!" she shouted, a white light engulfing her. When the light died down, he was looking at Undyne, in a completely different appearance.

"You're gonna have to try a little harder than that!" With these words, Undyne leapt at the human, her spears blazing in the darkness.

* * *

It was as if they were truly doomed. Sans looked on in horror, as Undyne melted back into a small puddle, before completely disappearing, her dust scattering the pylons of the bridge.

The human looked smug as she wiped her hands on her pants, getting the dust off. What was this kid? She had literally taken down the most powerful monster to ever come into existence. If this was a testament of the human's incomplete potential, who would be able to stop her, when she achieved her true potential?

Sans's mind was in a daze as he teleported straight to the laboratory in Hotland, clutching thee files he had extracted from his own laboratory. The door opened, granting him entry. The laboratory was dark, and there were no signs of anyone being present. Sans sighed, closing his eyes.

When he opened them once again, he found himself in the True Laboratory. It was brightly lit, and was teeming with hordes of monsters. He walked at a brisk pace, straight to the main office present in the said lab. He gave a soft knock on the door of the office, and granted himself entry.

Alphys was crying her heart out, with her forehead resting on the desk in front of her, arms on either side of her head. He immediately rushed to her side, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She flinched, and looked up at him.

"I know how you must be feeling Alphys. I am so sorry." He offered.

She took it, wiping her eyes and motioning him to sit on the chair across the desk. He took a seat, keeping quiet.

Eventually, she began to speak, "I don't know how Undyne took that hit and still lived. My speculation is that she reformed, using determination. She's probably the first monster to successfully pull that off." She said in a clipped tone.

She continued, "The only people currently occupying Hotland are Mettaton, the Royal Guards and Muffet. Mettaton has hired mercenaries to patrol the CORE. With any luck, they should be able to slow the human's progress down. With luck, Mettaton could transform into his original form, and take her down."

Sans questioned, "Why is Muffet still around?"

"She doesn't want to leave her spiders behind. I am done convincing her, especially when all she wants to do is wrap me up in a web and eat me." Alphys replied. "Why are you here, Sans?"

Sans replied by asking , "When are you going to contact Asgore?"

Her shoulders drooped, "If the human manages to kill Mettaton, I'll call him, and tell him to absorb the human SOULs."

"Will you do me a favor?"

"What?"

"Don't call Asgore if that happens." Sans said, in the most serious tone he could manage.

"What the hell are you talking about Sans? This isn't some elaborate prank that's going on! The human is dangerous, and needs to be put down, if we value any of our lives. How could you say something like this, when Papyrus and Undyne are dead!" She had lost her composure and was yelling at him, having stood up and was leaning on the table.

"Hear me out Alphys. Before you pursue any further course of action, have a look at these," he offered her the files he'd been carrying with him till now. She snatched them out of his hand, quickly flipping through the pages.

"What's this supposed to mean?" She inquired.

"Exactly what it is supposed to mean. This is a description of the SAVE function, which allows someone to create a copy of the timeline they're in, at any specific moment in time. Whenever they wish, they can go back to that moment in time, or start the timeline from scratch." Sans explained.

"Haha, pretty funny Sans. Now let me get back to managing these people. I've already wasted enough of my time." She made to leave, but stopped when she felt a hand grab her arm. "Let me go Sans." she warned.

"Not until you completely hear me out. Do you remember watching something odd when the human fought Undyne?"

"I'm not sure I get you."

Sans scratched his head, "When the human fought Undyne, she fought her in a form none of us know about. That was Undyne in a form we'd never seen before, right?"

"Right."

"Then didn't it occur somewhat strange to you, that the human knew how to dodge her attacks with such precision? It was as if she'd seen those attacks quite a few times before, right?"

Alphys paused. What Sans said was true. She still had her doubts.

"What if that was a lucky coincidence for the human?"

"23 attacks Alphys? I could understand dodging one attack with such precision being random coincidence. I don't see that happening with 23 attacks. Moreover, haven't you seen the human fight other monsters?" Sans reasoned.

"This might sound crazy, but I think I am starting to believe you. Why does the human have this power?"

"It's just as it is written in the reports, Alphys. The being with the highest amount of determination is the one with the capability to SAVE."

"So basically, you're saying, whatever we do, we're at the mercy of the human? That our choices really don't matter?"

"Yes."

Alphys buried her face in her hands and slumped on the chair she was sitting on. She whispered in a broken tone, "Why didn't you ever tell me this before?"

Sans easily replied, "I didn't want to bother you with all of this. There was enough going in your life as it is."

Alphys waved her hand around once, saying, "That has come to change. Now that everyone had to come here, they've seen what I've done. The funny thing is, they don't hate me for it. Instead, they commend me for guaranteeing their safety."

"That's a good thing Alphys, but we're diverging from our original conversation. Don't call Asgore."

Alphys ran a hand through her hair, when Sans saw the realization dawn on her face. She incredulously said, "When Asgore absorbs those SOULs, he'll have the highest determination in the Underground. We'll be able to break from this loop, and wrest control from the human's hands. This seems like the right course of action. Why are you stopping me from doing this?" She asked him, her eyes narrowed.

Sans pointed to one of the papers in the files, "Read this carefully Alphys."

She began reading it. In a measured tone, he said, "As it clearly says, the ability to reset only goes back to the moment, when the being gained the ability."

Alphys looked up at him, "So you mean. . ."

Sans continued her unfinished statement, ". . .if Asgore absorbs the SOULs now, he would only be able to go back till this moment in time. And every time that occurs, we'll find ourselves in this broken world, unable to bring them back."

Alphys felt whatever hope that had risen in her chest be brutally crushed. She tried to keep the pain off her face, being able to just manage a hollow, "What do you hope to accomplish by keeping Asgore from this power?"

Sans raised his hands. "I certainly don't want the human to get to that point and kill Asgore, because the only thing that it'll accomplish, as my reports say, is the destruction of this universe."

Alphys cried out, frustrated, "Then what are you going to do Sans?"

"I'm going to fight her."

Silence.

Alphys ventured, "And what would that accomplish?"

"I'll never let her win that fight. When she realizes that she can't get past me, she'll be forced to reset. And when that happens, things return to normal." He patiently explained.

"Uh- no offense, Sans. But are you sure you can do it?" She looked uncertain. She'd never seen Sans fight before.

"Don't worry about that Alphys. Listen to what I need you to do." She leaned in closer.

"I want you to keep a watch on our fight. In the event that I die, I need you to call Asgore, and tell him to absorb the SOULs. But only if I die. As long as I live, you don't call him. Capiche?"

She nodded silently.

"Good. Do you have any questions?"

"Where will you fight the human, Sans?"

Sans scratched the back of his head, "In the Last Corridor, the place I had in mind for judging her."

"Wil you fight her for sure?"

"Only if she proves to be a threat to the universe. If for any reason, I feel that threat has passed, I'll let her go. Asgore might fall to her, but she'll reset after that, no matter what." He replied. He asked her once again, "Have you got anything more to ask?"

She shook her head. Satisfied, Sans moved to the door, before he heard her say something.

"Good luck, Sans." She offered him a weak smile.

He gave her a sardonic one in response, "My luck is never good, Alphys." And with that, he left the office, preparing himself for his final encounter with the human.

* * *

 _Flowey_

This was the most interesting day he'd ever gotten to see in his life. Before this, he'd been terribly bored, having tried everything he could with this pointless world. Sets of numbers, lines of dialogue, he'd seen them all. When he realized that there was nothing new for him left in the world, he'd started playing with it in his own twisted way.

Initially, he'd begun to manipulate the people around him, to see how they would react, to see what new behaviors would come from them. It had been refreshing to drive his own mother slowly to insanity, or to push Undyne into being a bloodthirsty killer.

Alphys was too pathetic, and he never bothered to interact with her and her robot, despite her being his creator. His father was a miserable wreck, who'd just spend the day in pure agony. He had no interest in Asgore, except for one thing, the human SOULs he had.

Flowey had tried thousands of techniques to get the king to show him thee SOULs, but the old fool never seemed to give in.

The most interesting character in this charade was Papyrus. Papyrus genuinely seemed to elicit emotion out of Flowey at times. He was a naïve fool, but Flowey never had any problems. He remembered one of the timelines, when he'd tried to manipulate Papyrus into killing Undyne, just for the fun of it.

And Sans found out.

From that day onwards, he'd learned to steer clear of the smiling skeleton. He was the biggest threat to any determined being in the whole underground. He would smile, joke, laugh; carefully constructing a façade of a lazy, stupid skeleton. It couldn't be any more further from the truth.

Sans had also stepped in, when he'd tried killing everyone in the Underground. No matter how hard Flowey tried, Sans would beat him to the ground and send him back. Eventually, out of frustration, Flowey reset, seeing no possible way to break the skeleton once and for all.

This is what he'd anticipated the most, when he'd recognized the human as his fallen sibling. How she would deal with Sans. If she were to defeat him, something he himself never had been able to do, they'll have finally reached the end.

After having a talk with the Trashbag, he'd moved ahead of her, solving all the traps and puzzles for her, so that she could walk on her path without any pesky annoyances. He'd been pretty impressed, when she'd killed Undyne.

Now, she was cleansing the CORE, making her way towards Mettaton. He watched her from the sidelines, ensuring that she killed everyone in her path. When the CORE was completely cleared, she stepped into the room ahead.

Flowey smirked, now was his time to act. He'd heard Sans talk to Alphys and knew everything about their plan. The only thing he had to do was to prevent Asgore from knowing anything at all. He travelled to the laboratory in Hotland, and descended into the darkness.

* * *

His eyes still roamed the surroundings, taking in the place where he'd experienced rebirth. Monster dust was caked on the floor. Their screams had been music to his ears. Only one thing left to do now.

He slowly creeped towards Alphys, seeing her small form shake in terror. A vine ensnared her hand, holding it firmly to the wall. Alphys conjured a bolt of electricity and shot it at him. It stung, but only a little.

His vines slowly crept up on Alphys's form, like a python encircling its prey. He squeezed, slowly choking Alphys. As her form collapsed on the floor, Flowey felt his sense of accomplishment.

Whatever happened now, was up to Chara.

* * *

"Creatures like us, wouldn't hesitate to kill each other if we got in the other's way!" He announced triumphantly, still feeling disgusted at those hypocritical do-gooders.

He paused. Her expression just had a simple smile, a smile which promised things he certainly did not want.

"So that's. . ."

"That's. . ." he stuttered out, feeling his body shake with a new feeling.

"You should've thought of it, when you told me about your little plan to become more powerful than me and my 'stolen' soul." Her voice was light, but definitely carried undertones of menace.

Flower swore in his mind. So far, he'd been just setting up his own doom! He had to do something, anything!

"Maybe you should go back Chara, this world is fine the way it is!" he said.

She didn't listen to him, but merely stepped forward, the knife in her hands gleaming. She still had that smile on.

"STOP MAKING THAT CREEPY FACE!", he shouted and ran. He entered the Last Corridor, sprinting for his life. He could see a dark silhouette of someone standing there. He ran past Sans, making sure to carry the message to Asgore. If Sans died, he would have to tell Asgore to absorb the souls, at any cost.

* * *

 _Sans_

He stood quietly, where he usually stood. He'd spent the past half an hour, praying, praying for the ones who'd left. He'd prayed and asked for forgiveness from the lady behind the door, for breaking the only promise he'd ever made in life.

The sound of loud thumps alerted him to someone dashing towards him in a frantic pace. He saw a silhouette of a flower. He sighed. _He's probably realized that she'll kill him too._

The flower ran straight past him. He shook his head and stared right ahead.

The sounds of boots on tiles reached him. She had finally arrived.

The sound of bells reached his ears. She flinched, as if she'd heard them too. _They're either for me, or for you, kid._ She stared at him, her expression uncertain. It dawned on him that she had no idea what to expect. She might've been judged in other timelines, but she didn't know what to expect in this time.

He broke the silence, "Heya."

She twirled her knife in her fingers.

"You've been busy, huh?"

She looked at him with a really bored expression. Sans couldn't help but be slightly offended.

"So, I've got a question for you. Do you think even the worst person can change? That everyone can be a good person, if they just try?"

She'd had enough with his monologue it seemed, since she'd steped forward, brandishing her knife. He felt a manic laugh leave him. _That's what Papyrus believed in, human. Unfortunately for you, I am not my brother._

"Here's a better question. Do you wanna have a bad time? Cuz, if you take another step forward, you are REALLY not going to like what happens next." He warned, his pupils dilated.

She clearly paid no heed to his warning, for she'd take another step, wearing an expression that looked between disbelief and a laugh. She was intending to make this quick, he realized.

This realization cracked something inside him. For the first time in his life, he felt such a rage course through his body. He closed his eyes and managed to say, "Well, sorry, old lady. This is why I never make promises."

His eyes still closed, he continued, "It's a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming. On days like these, kids like you. . ."

His eyes opened, pupils still dilated. The human still looked at him with a bored expression.

". . . _Should be burning in hell. . ._ "

He slammed his hand down, the human crashing on the floor with a resounding thud. Bones rose from the ground, impaling the human straight in her chest. He waved his hand to the right, a wave of bones intercepting the human.

His hands still in his pockets, he summoned his most powerful attacks. The skeletal heads fired at the human with earthshaking force, in rapid succession. When the red had disappeared from his vision, he saw the human's SOUL bare and crack.

* * *

"Hey. You look frustrated about something" he gave her a wink.

She indeed seem frustrated. Her expression was one of complete disbelief. Sans had all the cues he needed.

"Guess I am pretty good at my job huh?" his eyes were completely black.

* * *

"It's a beautiful day outside-" Sans cut off his own dialogue in favor of slamming down his hand.

This time, somehow, the human managed to survive his first attack. He shrugged.

"Always wondered why people never use their strongest attack first."

The human died at the next attack.

* * *

Sans wasn't sure if the human had figured it by now, but his attacks could only do one damage. It was equivalent to slapping someone hard. In his case though, it was as if they were being slapped a thousand times in an instant. That had to hurt.

Now she was going to figure something else too, as the human swung her knife, determined to end the battle right there. She knew that he had only one DEF, she would make quick work of him.

 _Miss._

Sans wasn't sure if it was possible for the human to look even angrier than what she was right now.

"What, you think I am just gonna stand there and take it?" he winked at her again, before launching a barrage of bones at her, forcing her to jump.

She attacked again, only to miss once again. Sans continued what he had to say, "Our reports showed a massive anomaly in the spacetime continuum, timelines jumping left and right, stopping and starting."

She deftly avoided his attack, to strike once again.

"Until, suddenly, everything comes to an end."

She had something to eat, him sending another barrage at her. She avoided them, only to strike once again.

"Hehehe, that's your fault isn't it?"

…

"You don't know how this feels."

…

"Knowing that one day, without any warning, it is all going to be reset." He sent a number of blasters at her. She didn't survive them.

* * *

"That's the expression of someone who's died thrice in a row. Hey, what comes after 'thrice' anyway?" his pupils dilated, "Wanna help me find out?"

* * *

"Look, I gave up trying to go back a long time ago." He said, sending as slide towards her. Dodging another one of her attacks, he continued, "And getting to the surface doesn't appeal anymore, either."

…

"Because, even if we do, we'll just end up right back here, without any memory of it, right?" He couldn't help but have that bitterness in his words as he said that. He attacked and dodged.

"To be blunt, it makes it kind of hard to give it my all." Saying this, he sent another attack at her.

She died again.

* * *

"That's the expression of someone who has died eleven times in a row. Well, give or take, there's nuance to this stuff. Don't think I'll be able to count very well from here. Count for me, will you? We'll start from twelve."

* * *

"…or is that just a poor excuse for being lazy? Hell if I know."

He was growing tired from fighting, if today's morning was any indication. He had no problem conjuring his attacks, but all this dodging and evading was taking out the wind from him.

"All I know is, seeing what comes next, I can't afford not to care anymore." _That's true kid_. _I am not doing this for revenge. I am not doing it for them, but rather a greater cause. I haven't fought you till now, because I wouldn't want to alert attention to myself unnecessarily. Especially when you can reset._

 _But not this time. You took it too far._

He missed another of her attacks. He let out a small pant.

"Ugh, that being said, you really like swinging that thing around, huh? Listen. . ." he held his hands up.

"I know you didn't answer me before, but somewhere in there, I can feel it. There's a glimmer of a good person inside of you. The memory of someone who once wanted to do the right thing. Someone, who in another time, may have, even been. . . a friend? C'mon pal, do you remember me? If you're listening, let's forget all this, okay?" he give a small shrug.

"Just lay down your weapon, and my job will be a lot easier." He stood back, letting her decide what she wanted.

 _Just spare me. It'll really be a lot easier. I am getting tired._ The human had conflicting emotions on her face. Sans kept an eye on her, ready to avoid any attack at a moment's notice.

 _Clank._

The knife had fallen out of her hand. She looked miserable, her previous composure completely gone. Sans sighed in relief.

"Finally, you're sparing me? Pal, I know hard it must be, to make that choice, to go back on everything you've worked up to. I want you to know, I won't let it go to waste. Come here," he beckoned her with a hand.

She moved closer to him, but he was faster. He thrust his hand out, sending her flying across the corridor, crashing on the wall. Her body slumped down.

He walked in a predatory manner, summoning one of his blasters behind him.

She looked up at him, letting out a small gasp.

He opened his palm slightly, letting the blaster glow with energy. When he looked back at her, he saw a face. A face he knew.

 _It's no use. She's changed, and everyone is dead._

Hardening his expression, he said, "If we're really friends, you won't come back" and closed his fist with deliberation. The blaster fired with a shockwave, obliterating the human.

* * *

"Let's just get to the point."

* * *

"Sounds strange, but before all this, I was secretly hoping that we could be friends. I always thought that the anomaly was doing this because they were unhappy, and when they got what they wanted, they would stop all this." He closed his eyes, mentioning the anomaly for the first time. He hoped that they were listening to him. He dodged once again.

"And maybe all they needed was some good food, some bad laughs, some nice friends."

…

"But that's ridiculous right? Yeah, you're the type of person who won't EVER be happy." He said this in a fit of anger, tired of all these places, tired of all these timelines.

…

"You'll keep consuming timelines over and over until, hey, kid. Someday, you have to learn when to QUIT." He himself was now getting frustrated and tired. Why wouldn't she die?

…

"And that day is TODAY!" He sent a massive army of blasters at her. Her SOUL shattered

* * *

He narrowly missed her attack this time. She was getting way too good, and he was getting way too tired.

"Because, you see, this firing is really tiring me out."

…

"And if you keep pushing me, then I'll be forced to use my special attack."

…

"Yeah, my special attack, sounds familiar? Well get ready, because after the next move, I am going to use it. If you don't want to see it, now would be a good time to die."

…

"Well, here goes nothing. Survive THIS and I'll show my special attack!" he unleashed hell on her, combining all his attacks, sending her on the roof of the corridor, making her fall horizontally. With a final breath, he summoned his blasters, creating a circle.

She died once again.

* * *

He was focusing his hardest, but he couldn't keep at it any longer. He'd grown very tired now. He dropped his blasters and summoning one last burst of his energy, slammed her desperately across the room, determined to end her.

His energy wore thin, and he stepped back from her, maintaining a respectable distance between them. He began to pant loudly.

"Huff, puff. Okay, that is it. It's time for my special attack. Are you ready? Here goes nothing." He closed his eyes.

…

…

…

"Yep, that's right. It's literally nothing. And it's not going to be anything either. You get it? I know I can't beat you. One of your turns, you're just gonna kill me. So, uh, I've decided, it's not gonna be your turn EVER. I am just going to keep having my turn until you give up. Even if it means we have to stand here till the end of time." He had come up with this strategy while he was praying. This was the only thing he could do now. Force her into a stalemate, until the anomaly decided to quit.

She ran up to strike him with her knife, but his eye glowed blue and yellow, and she was teleported back to her original spot. She seemed to be realizing the futility of her own situation.

"You'll get bored here, if you haven't gotten bored already, and then, you'll finally quit." He cursed himself for his bad timing, his body was betraying him. He needed to sleep, after having spent a sleepless night.

He continued to speak, "I know your type. You're very determined aren't you? You'll never give up, even if there is no benefit whatsoever to persevering. If I can make that clear, you'll just keep going. Not out of any desire for good or evil, but just because you think you can."

He fixed her with a pointed look, "And because, you 'can', you 'have to'."

He gave a mighty yawn, before continuing, "Now, you have reached the end however. There is nothing left for you here. So in my personal opinion, the most "determined" thing you can do, is to completely give up and," he gave anther yawn, "Do literally anything else."

His eyes were fluttering. His mind was getting lighter.

 _Wake up, you idiot._ He jerked awake. It was of no use. He wasn't afraid of death though.

With that last though, Sans finally allowed himself some peace.

* * *

He dodged the attack, feeling really proud of himself.

"Did you really think you would be able to-" he was cut off by the second strike, which he caught right across his chest. He promptly fell on his bottom.

Pain flared across his body, but he forced it down. His hand felt wet. He looked down to see blood pouring out of his wound, staining his torso and his gloved hand.

"So, guess that's it huh? Don't say I didn't warn you." He stood up and shrugged, "Well, I am going to Grillby's."

He limped out of the corridor and leaned across the wall at the entrance. He looked down at the blood, reminding him of who he truly was. He croaked out, "Papyrus, do you want anything?" and promptly disappeared from the place, reappearing in his room. He collapsed on his bed and closed his eyes.

His mind in a haze, Sans was finally allowed the quiet he yearned for.

* * *

"SINCE WHEN WERE YOU THE ONE IN CONTROL?"

And with that, the first human struck a mighty blow, shattering the universe forever.

* * *

 **AN: And yay! We've finished this, finally. We have our complete platform set for the story that follows. This universe is destroyed, and we'll move on to the next one =). Just kidding. It had been fun writing this chapter, and this was a long chapter damn, but I really want a moment to appreciate how much we've achieved so far.**

 **Some of my random thoughts are put below.**

 **I feel that the final boss fight of the Genocide route is the moment Undertale had been building up to so far. Why do I think that? This fight literally represents the game as a whole, come to think of it. Undertale is meant to subvert expectations, and so does this fight, when the weakest enemy takes down the strongest entity in the game. It is humorous, as can be seen from Sans's constant taunts and jokes. It is self-aware and breaks the fourth wall too many times to count. On top of that, it is very serious.**

 **eh eh, stop boi, stop being such a fanboi.**

 **Just appreciating stuff here lol! This whole story is written such because imo, Sans is probably what Undertale and Deltarune are going to be all about (Don't flame me please! I might be totally wrong here).**

 **But anyways, things will get interesting from the next chapter. Thank you for giving my literary work your valuable time. Please rate and do review. Au revoir.**


	7. A New World

_Sans_

Everything ached. The damned human had struck true. He cursed himself, for falling asleep at the critical moment. It was all up to Alphys to warn Asgore. He opened his eyes and winced.

Bright sunlight was streaming into his house. _What the hell?_ He looked down at his chest. There was no wound, nothing at all. All he felt was an ache through his body, that too an ache as if he'd woken up after going to sleep very tired. He experimentally twisted his back, hearing all his joints pop.

He slowly wrung his body all over, allowing himself some satisfaction when the process was done. Swinging his legs out of bed, he sat up and looked around his room. Everything was fine, except for the sunlight entering through his window.

 _Did I just dream about a timeline where the human went rogue?_ He contemplated. If anything, it was possible that they had truly left the Underground and were living on the surface, and that he had such a dream due to the fear that she would reset once again.

He emptied his mind and began to look for the memories.

Nothing.

All he could remember was the human's carnage and his life before that. There was nothing else he could remember. If it just had been a dream, he wouldn't lose his real memories, would he? He frowned, unsure of what was happening.

 _It would probably help me if I decided to expand my world from me and my room to something more._ His mind made, he slowly opened the door, to gaze at the rest of his house. His door still had the funk due to his oh-so subtle additions. His house looked practically there same, except for the addition of all that bright light.

He turned to the right and walked up to his brother's door. He knocked gently, calling his brother's name.

No response.

His heart clenched. Papyrus had died in his dream. He didn't know if he was alive right now. Shaking his head, he pulled the doorknob, letting himself into his brother's room. He could see a hump in the bedsheets, indicating that his brother was asleep. He slowly padded up to the bed and slowly slid the bedsheet over from what was supposed to be his brother's head.

Sans recoiled so hard that he jumped back, hitting the floor. Papyrus… Papyrus definitely looked younger than what he'd ever seen. This was a child version of his brother, probably in his early teens.

Sans smacked himself hard across his face. What was going on? This was too surreal. First, he had that weird dream (or was it?, the darker parts of his mind thought), followed by him being on the surface with Papyrus almost a decade younger than what Sans remembered him to be?

He looked at his sleeping brother one last time, before slowly creeping out his room, closing the door gently. He went down into the drawing room, settling comfortably on the sofa present. He grabbed a remote and switched the television on.

He could find a bunch of channels playing, human and monster. He flicked through the channels one after the other, finding nothing of much interest. He switched the tele off, lowering his head.

His files had never mentioned anything like this. They only talked about the timelines, timelines that diverged within the same universe. He could clearly remember every single thing about his previous world in vivid detail.

 _The files…_

His eyes widened. He had to check on something.

He made his way to the door, his eyes immediately squinting to the harsh glare of the sun. He made his way to the back of his house, determined to get some answers from his lab. He quickly moved past the post-boxes, wrenching open the door of his workshop.

He let out a frustrated sigh. All that was there inside was a bunch of flowering pots, with gardening tools and supplies, neatly stocked in shelves kept in the no-longer-a-workshop. This was it then, a dead end. He had no memories of ever being in a place like this. This seemed like a mocking of the place he remembered, with him having no idea of what to do from here.

He remembered giving those files to Alphys, trusting her to learn whatever she could from them, such that in the case he failed, Asgore would defeat the human and they would let the universe and the monster race survive. Maybe they succeeded.

Maybe they didn't.

He left the gardening shed without sparing a second glance in its direction, coming out on the footpath in front of his house. To his right was a building that looked suspiciously like Grillby's.

" _Well, I am going to Grillby's. Papyrus, do you want anything?"_ his last words before he had fled from the scene. It almost felt like an omen, as if someone was urging him to enter the diner. He slid his hands in his pockets and strolled towards the building.

It seemed that whatever was doing this, was intent on catching him wrong-footed every single time. The sign had been completely crossed out, except for the 'S' in the end. Scrawled in front of it were the letters 'ans'.

Sans suppressed the dark grin that had tried to escape his face. So far, so good. He entered the building, being greeted by a convenience store, filled with groceries and whatnot. On the far wall hung a certificate, mentioning the shop to be in his name. He took his seat at the cashiers desk, taking a time to reorganize his thoughts.

He was on the surface, with no idea of what this world was like. He had a younger brother who was younger than he remembered. His house was located next to a store that he owned. Judging from the area surrounding this location, it seemed like a small town with a small population. He had no idea whether this world followed the same rules as his previous one did.

Heck, he didn't even know whether he was going to see any familiar faces around here. He pulled the drawer open, spotting a binder file, almost identical to the one he had and a blue fountain pen. He grabbed the file and writing utensil, and began scribbling.

* * *

He wiped the sweat from his forehead as he penned down whatever he could remember from his file. It shouldn't have been much of a problem, since Alphys had always complimented him for his eidetic memory. That was a long time ago, when both of them used to work for the then Royal Scientist.

He just had to check one last thing. He had to see if all of his powers had been carried with him or not. He closed his eyes, focusing on the only other location in this world he remembered with vivid detail.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself in his brother's room. His eyes fell on his brother's bed, which was empty. He rushed out of the room, and called out his brother's name.

"Yeah Sans?" came the voice of his younger brother. It was clearly Papyrus's voice, but with a higher pitch and childish touch. He was lazing on the couch, eating some kind of junk food, watching the television.

"What are you doing?" he asked his brother. His brother was just a couple of inches above his own height, he realized.

"Lazing around."

That, was unexpected. Papyrus was never one to laze around. He was extremely rigid when it came to matters of laziness, cleanliness or discipline. This version of his brother, however, was a lot like him. He was sporting an extremely unkempt appearance, eating junk food and lazing around, the very opposite of the brother he knew.

"Don't you have anything to do, Papyrus?"

"I am going to go to school tomorrow, Sans. Let me laze around for one last day." His brother replied.

Sans scratched his head. Papyrus going to school? That was definitely new. Considering his age though, Papyrus looked like a kid who would go to school. Still, this attitude from Papyrus was putting him slightly on the edge.

"You don't have any friends outside that you might want to play with?" he asked him.

"It's just been three days since we moved here, Sans. I know a couple of kids around here, but that's it. I'll play with them when I feel like it or they feel like calling me." Papyrus replied back, munching on salty crackers.

 _We've just moved here, huh?_ Sans thought to himself. Maybe a walk around town might help him. Before that though…

"We'll send you school next week, Papyrus."

Papyrus turned around to give him a sharp glare, saying, "It's already boring enough. You've got something against me, Sans?"

Sans held his hands up, "Hey kid, I am not against the idea of you going to school. I feel that we should get a bit more acquainted to this place. A week should give me and you enough time to get to know people here, right?"

Papyrus looked back at him, before nodding once.

"Good. I'm heading out for some time. You can have fun at home while you're at it. Don't go outside the house yet, okay?"

"Why are you telling me to stay inside?" Papyrus asked his brother.

Sans shrugged, "This is a new place. Let me try to scout the area a bit. I'll come back by lunchtime, okay? Be good."

Papyrus nodded and crawled out the sofa, walking up to his brother. He pulled him in a brief embrace, and moved back to his room.

Sans looked at his brother's retreating form. _He's just a kid._ Sans realized that he was probably the sole provider for this household, just like before. This Papyrus, however, was a child and depended more on him, he was effectively the acting parent in this situation. It was up to him to be a good parent this time.

He wouldn't fail Papyrus. Not again.

* * *

He strolled through the streets of the town. There was apparently a very nice restaurant due west of their house, along with a pizza (pezza?) franchise. To the right was an apartment complex, a dark alleyway sandwiched between them.

He'd already seen some familiar faces while scouting the town. He'd seen Catty and Bratty, although on not the polite terms they would usually be seen. These two were rivalling neighbors, inadvertently badmouthing the other whenever he spoke to either of them.

Their reactions to him had been _interesting_. None of them seemed to know him, which solidified his brother's claim of them being new in the town. He had exchanged the barest of pleasantries with them before leaving the place.

The apartment complex seemed to house a lot of Snowdin residents, him recognizing a lot of them from the top of his head. The trend continued as nobody seemed to recognize him. He introduced himself to the people there once again, before taking his leave.

His gaze fell on the alleyway. He entered it, his hands in his pockets, his instincts on high alert. A lone figure stood at the end of the alleyway, apparently doing something they held in their hands. They must have heard his footsteps, for the figure had turned around.

Yellow skin, a pair of glasses sitting on her nose. She was wearing something nicer, compared to the horrible lab coat he had usually seen her in.

"Alphys?"

Alphys wore a puzzled expression on her face. She said in a hesitating voice, "Have I met you before?"

Sans cursed himself mentally. She obviously did not know him. He had to come up with a valid excuse to keep his cover from being blown.

"Uh, not really. You see, I'm new in town. The residents of the apartments were kind enough to tell me your name. I've been scouting the town, trying to make new acquaintances. I'm Sans by the way. Sans the skeleton." He finished.

"Oh. That would make sense I guess. I'm Alphys. Though I guess you already know that hehe…" she finished awkwardly. There was a brief pause during which Alphys recollected her bearings. She came up with other questions for him.

"When did you arrive here at town? Are you alone?"

"I came here three days ago with my little brother."

"Oh. What's your brother like?"

"He's a kid. I'll be sending him to school the next week onwards." Alphys's ears perked up on hearing that.

"School? That's good. I'm a schoolteacher at the local school here. I usually deal with the older kids. Your brother's probably one of them, right?"

Sans nodded.

"Well that's good. I'll be teaching your younger brother probably. Unless Toriel decides to pay my class a visit." Alphys continued.

Sans suppressed a small frown. Toriel was the queen of the underground, wasn't she? She had left Asgore after their children had died though.

"Who's Toriel?" He ventured.

She smacked her forehead, "Well that's my bad I guess. Toriel is the senior teacher in our school. She lives at the north of the town, with her children."

Apparently, he'd travelled backwards in time. But that was impossible. This was a completely different location compared to the underground. _Never mind that right now. Better focus on getting information rather than spending my time wondering about possible scenarios._

"Say Alphys, what are you doing in this dark alleyway all alone?" he inquired.

She blushed, "Well, technically it is my "office" after school hours. I usually come here on holidays or my free time since I get a lot of privacy here."

Sans hummed back in agreement. Something had been bothering him for a long time. _Better ask it now._

"I haven't seen any humans around here. Why is that?"

She replied, "Most humans live in other places. This is a town for us monsters. We do have one human living with us however, that's one of Toriel's children. She's also one of my students. You don't seem to know much Sans. Where are you from exactly?" She finished with a question.

"I've come from a place extremely far from here. I hence am not very knowledgeable about things over here. Lemme just give you a slight heads-up though. I've opened a store just to the west of here. Do come and check it out if you need any groceries, okay?"

"Sure."

Sans waved his hand at her, "Well, I'll see you after some time Alphys. Take care."

"Bye." She waved her hand back.

* * *

After taking Papyrus out for a quick lunch at the restaurant, he'd decided to go and sit at his store, letting Papyrus doing his thing at his house. His laziness was catching up to him and he was getting bored walking around the town so much. Better open the store, and let people come to him rather than him going to them.

He reclined back on the chair he'd been sitting on, feeling his vertebrae stretch out. He scratched his head, letting his head lean back.

His eyes began to close, fluttering against his will.

 _Wake up._ A part of his brain said.

 _What's the need? I have already died, haven't I?_ Another part of his head said.

His eyes opened, him sensing a disturbance. He quickly dodged an attack, and summoned one of his blasters, closing his fist.

The weapon fired with earthshaking force, obliterating whatever was in front of him.

" **What in the blazes are you doing?** " Someone shouted.

He swiftly turned around, his hand raised for summoning another attack, before dropping it. He realized that someone had come in the store to buy something, and he'd been lashing out a threat which did not exist.

His chair had completely disintegrated by the force of the attack it had withstood, a smoking pile of ash in its stead. Sans however, had his gaze transfixed to the person who had entered the store.

"Hello? Are you ok? Do you want me to call a doctor? Or should I run to the police for my safety?" the lady who'd entered said.

 _That voice!_

He schooled his expression into something that looked like a calm expression, before replying, "I'm don't think there's no need for that. Sorry about the startle, I was dozing off and having a bad dream."

The boss monster replied back, "Quite a dream you must have had, for you to destroy your chair with that cannon or whatever it was. Are you sure you're okay?"

Sans nodded, "Yeah. I've just had some bad experiences in life. That's probably why I reacted to the situation so strongly. I'll be fine though. Thanks for asking."

There was a moment of silence, before Sans asked, "Can I help you with something?"

The lady seemed to remember why she'd come here, "Oh yeah, I've come to buy some chocolate kisses. Do you have them?"

Sans shrugged, "Well, I'm new here, so I'll have to check once. Why don't you have a seat in the meantime?" he gestured towards the metal chairs situated to one side of the shop.

"If you can keep from blasting this chair along with me, I think I could manage that." She gave a small jab at his reaction. Sans merely smiled and headed inside to find the kisses."

"Haven't seen you around before here. You're new in town?" She called out from where she was waiting.

"Yeah." He found a packet of those kisses, walking back to his counter. She got up and marched up to the counter, taking her purse out.

"That'll be 25G." He told her. She opened her purse, and dished out the money. He put them in the register. Another moment passed, before Sans realized that the lady still hadn't left. He raised a brow, looking at her inquisitively.

"You seem like a strong guy. Where are you from?" She asked him.

"Shouldn't we start with knowing each other's names? I can't just tell a stranger where I'm from, can I?" he shrugged.

She laughed, before extending her hand and saying, "Alright, alright. I am Toriel." This was the lady Alphys was talking about then.

He clasped her offered hand, finding it warm. "I'm Sans. Sans the skeleton."

She raised her own eyebrow, "Really? Must've changed after the last time I checked you. Oh never mind, you were a skeleton even before this. That's a bit obvious, don't you think Sans?"

Sans shook his head, amusing her even further. Of course he didn't need to say that he was a skeleton. However, what she'd said was not completely true.

He carried the conversation further, "Those kisses are for you, eh Toriel? No offense, but you look a bit old for them."

She shook her head, still with that amused gleam in her eyes, "They're not for me, they're for my daughter. She tends to eat too much though, so I've got to lock them up."

Sans gave a small laugh. He tentatively asked, "Your daughter is a human right?"

Her eyes widened in surprise. "How do you know that?" she asked.

Sans gave her a sheepish smile, "Well, I managed to have a talk with your colleague before lunch, you know, Alphys. She was telling me about town, and told me that the only human here is your daughter."

Toriel hummed in response. "I've been a bit worried about her, you know? She's finding herself very lonely. She's always been a bit, uh, reclusive, and now that my son's also gone to university, she's finding herself really isolated."

Sans was speculating that Asgore would be a part of this happy family too, so he decided to venture further, "Uh, she doesn't get along with anyone else in the family? You? Your husband?"

Her eyes darkened at the mention of the word 'husband'. In a measured tone, she said, "Let's not talk about _him_ here."

Sans winced. "I'm sorry for intruding so much." He apologized.

Her eyes had regained most of their warmth by now, for she said, "It's okay. Let me get back at you anyway. You came here alone?"

Sans scratched his head, "Not really. My younger brother has also come with me. He'll be joining your daughter in class within a week, I presume."

Toriel looked a bit taken aback, at how younger his brother was compared to him. Sans could relate. He had been feeling something similar in the morning.

Funnily enough, he'd told this story so many times that even he'd begun to believe it. He still had no idea of where he was or how he managed to come here. He had managed to draw some conclusions however.

Despite all of them being in probably an alternate universe, most of the people had managed to retain some basis of their personalities.

Alphys was still nerdy and socially awkward. The lady behind the door, whom now he correctly identified as Toriel was quite similar to how he had known her. Funny, quirky and had a bad relationship with her husband.

Catty and Bratty were their usual selves, albeit they were at odds with one another. Undyne still showed headstrong behavior and the other citizens were mostly how they usually were like.

He hadn't got a chance to meet Asgore to make any deductions in his case.

The only person who showed major differences was his brother, who had a pretty different personality compared to what he remembered him as. Add to that he and his brother were the only new ones here. This wasn't making any sense.

He realized that Toriel was waving her hand in front of him for quite some time. He snapped out of his reverie.

"Welcome back. You seemed like a million miles away for a while."

"Yeah. I guess I have a lot on my mind to process right now I guess. You know, it's a new place after all." He gave a wide grin back at her.

The bell at the door rang again, revealing Alphys standing at the door with a briefcase, wearing shades and pajamas. It was a unique look.

"Alphys!" Toriel rushed forward to greet her friend.

"Oh hey, Toriel. You've met with the skeleton, I see." Alphys lowered her shades to look at Sans.

"'Sup, Alphys. You want something?"

"You've got any instant noodles?" she asked. He nodded and headed inside, coming out with packets of instant noodles. Alphys quickly opened her briefcase, shoved the packets inside. She paid him in small coins and left as quickly as possible.

"Well, that was quick," Toriel remarked.

"I guess."

"Say Sans, why don't you come over for dinner tonight? You've got problems adjusting here, but that's okay. We can help you feel home, can't we?" Toriel asked.

Sans shook his head, "I wouldn't want to intrude on your family too much Toriel. Besides, my brother's at home alone."

"Don't worry about it. My son, Asriel, is off to university and my daughter is spending the night at her father's house. About your brother, you can also bring him for dinner. It'll be great."

Sans considered it for a moment. He knew this woman alright, her having been one of his closest friends during his lonely times in the underground. Still, he needed to know, why she was being so open with a stranger.

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful, Toriel. But I have some doubts. You're inviting me, a complete stranger who you've just known for barely half an hour, to dinner. You don't know me at all. Do you still want to do this?"

Toriel frowned slightly, before her features brightened once again, "That's true. But there is something about you Sans. It's as if I've known you for a long time. I might've not known you for too long, but, being around you is fun, I have to admit. I really want to be friends with you."

Sans gave a small chuckle, "Fine. I'll be there with my brother at around 8."

"Sure."

* * *

 _Kris_

She was sleeping in her father's bed, her father doing some paperwork downstairs. She heard someone come inside the shop, the sounds slowly putting her in a groggy wakefulness.

She could hear her mother saying, "I'll have to take her home, she's got to go to school tomorrow. I'll bring her and Asriel the next weekend."

Her father said, "You sure you don't want to come Tori?"

She heard her mother's impatient cry, "I thought I told you to stop calling me that Asgore. I know what you're trying to do, and I'll have to ask you to stop doing it. I'll leave the kids, and I'll be doing my own thing. Is that alright?"

The dejection in Asgore's tone could be heard, "Fine Toriel. You can take Kris with you now."

Her mother's rapid footsteps grew louder until she reached the bed. She scooped Kris into her arms and whispered in her ear, "Baby, you have to go to school tomorrow. Come with mom to home, okay?"

Kris mumbled out, "Can't I stay for just one more night?"

Toriel muttered, "Honey, you have school tomorrow. I'll bring you and Asriel back here next week, alright?"

She got no response as Kris had fallen asleep in her arms.

* * *

 _Sans_

The dinner had gone quite well, albeit Papyrus had been a bit grumpy. He'd seen a well maintained house, ideal for four people to live in. He'd managed to see a photograph of the family of boss monsters and a human. The human… Kris… was hiding her face with her hands.

He'd got into quite a discussion with Toriel regarding her life, finding that she was a divorcee. Her relationship with Asgore had soured over their years in matrimony, eventually them breaking their wedlock.

He'd also been getting some hints from her, which he honestly was a bit apprehensive of. He didn't even know her complete family, not to mention that he hadn't met Asgore in this world yet (apparently he ran a flower shop called 'Flower King'. Terrible indeed at names).

He'd also found out that Gerson had passed away, along with a couple of Amalgamates (they weren't those abominations in this universe though).

This was disorienting. Things were same and different at the same time. Apart from that, he had no idea of whether the powers to reset existed in this universe, or not. His research was lost to him, but he wasn't letting it be a handicap. He'd been slowly drawing those blueprints, writing down that information into the binder file he'd found in his drawer.

Maybe he wouldn't achieve anything by doing this. Maybe he could take a break and come to appreciate life here in this new world. All his troubles seemed to have vanished, and it looked like his choices _did matter_.

Yet, something told him not to trust the situation so soon. The anomaly he suspected in the previous world, could be above all this and still lurk in the background. He needed to stay vigilant, in any case.

These were his thoughts as he scribbled down on his file, closing the flap once he was sure he'd covered everything. There it was, in front of him, a near replica of his data that he had in the underground. He looked outside.

Dusk had fallen on the town. It was time to close his store. He got up, taking his file with him and flipped the sign on his store. He gently closed the door behind him and locked it, stepping out on the pavement.

The sound of footsteps alerted him to someone's arrival.

The human, Kris, had stopped in front of him, showing an expression of joy. Sans's heart pounded quickly. He had seen that face before. He took a deep breath, gathering himself.

"Look who's walking around. How are you, kid?" he winked.

"Great to see you again," Kris blurted out. Sans's instinct went on overdrive. She recognized him!

"Yeah, it's real great isn't it, considering I've never met you before. I'm Sans, Sans the skeleton." He winked hard, hoping she would catch the hint.

She remained clueless, and he ignored it, ploughing on, "I'm new in town. Why, do you know someone I should make friends with?"

Kris replied, "How about my teacher?"

"Alphys? Yeah, I've met her. Came to the store with a briefcase wearing shades and pajamas. Thought she was part of the mob. She took several packets of instant noodles and paid in small bills. I let her do her thing. Our relationship is mostly, uh, professional."

Kris continued, "Me?"

Sans shrugged, "Woah there, tiger. I'm a complete stranger. Making a friendship takes time." He paused for a moment, before continuing, "Well, that's enough time. Here's my number. Call whenever you feel like."

Kris still seemed unsatisfied and asked, "My mother?"

Sans grinned hard, "Your mother huh? Too late, I already 'befriended' your mom last night," he finished giving a wink.

Apparently that was all for Kris as she had begun to leave. Sans called out.

"Hey, buddy. I know this feels strange, but can you come to my house tomorrow?" At Kris's questioning look, he continued, "Oh why? Well I'm not going to be there. That'd be weird. It's just going to be you and my little bro. He needs friends."

Kris quickly said, "Yes". Sans merely raised an eyebrow, saying, "That was quick, you should've hesitated more. I'm a complete stranger, you see? Well, I shouldn't complain much. Be seeing you tomorrow."

Kris had left by then.

* * *

 _Him_

His pieces were set into position. This experiment was promising and seemed very, very interesting. Now it was up to him, to wait and watch.

* * *

 _Kris_

She'd been in a funk ever since she'd left the dark world. She did not know what was going on, or what was happening anymore. A darkness was bursting inside of her, ready to take hold.

The order in which they'd revealed their eyes was dangerous. First Lancer, then Susie, then Ralsei. Ralsei…

Seeing her brother had created a howling storm in her mind. But that was not it.

 _That skeleton._

He had followed them.

How foolish the anomaly was. They'd probably forgotten her words. _We'll be together forever, won't we?_

All the players were in position. It was time for her, to show herself too.

Kris struck true, as her hand lodged itself inside her body and ripped the SOUL out. The anomaly could not do anything now. She marched up to the cage on the wagon and flung the SOUL inside. It attempted to move out of the cage, but with no success.

Kris felt a darkness overwhelm her mind. In her mind, she saw a child with red eyes and a wide smile, wearing a similar outfit as her, looking at her. Chara stepped forward and clasped her hand.

 _Wherever the anomaly goes, I follow, Kris. Thank you, for letting me in._

Kris summoned a knife in her outstretched hand, and glared in the direction of the menacingly, as her eyes, too, were revealed.

 _This would be fun._

* * *

 **AN: Hi! I'm back after my university exams. This chapter was waiting in the line for quite some time and I'm happy that I was able to bring it out. As I'd said before, this chapter was the convergence point for both the storylines that had been going on in the previous chapters. So, yay! This chapter starts with Sans waking up after his supposed "death" in the Genocide route and brings him into the Deltarune universe, a day before the events of Chapter 1 play out.**

 **Papyrus is way younger in this universe as evidently seen and hence, the storyline will be affected as such.**

 **Now some clarifications. The** _him_ **panel is a different narrator, one whom we haven't seen yet. I know some of you sharp readers might be able to predict who this person is, especially from his style and how he has been addressed to as "** _Him_ **". As for the last scene, I've basically gone along with a theory I came up with.**

 **Chara specifically says that the player and her will remain together "forever". This, in my opinion, also applies to any other games created by Toby Fox. So basically, when the player plays Deltarune, Chara is always there, being a part of the player. The final scene is basically Chara wresting control away from the player over Kris's body.**

 **The next chapter will probably have a visit to the Dark World, and the two storylines will emerge from the events of the next chapter. I know I'be been in a dilemma regarding this, but now I've decided that we'll do both the storylines in the same story, "Requiem of Solace", because some of the plot will follow under the other storyline which is necessary for the culmination of this story as a whole.**

 **Also, people who read this, let me have some form of feedback from you (positive or negative). You don't know how much difference it makes to a writer.**

 **Anyways, Thanks for reading. Au revoir!**


	8. Before the Story

_Kris_

The jester was laughing maniacally as he swung his dangerous knives at them. Kris dodged them deftly, pirouetting again to see if it would faze the enemy in front of them. This was a dangerous enemy, much more dangerous than King of Spades or any other enemy they had fought till now.

 _I can do anything._

It was true. He could summon any of the suits, Spades, Hearts, all of them. To add to that, he had gleaming knives, which eerily looked like scythes.

"Enough! You kids tired me up!" he heaved out after unleashing an attack of diamonds, slower than before though. She threw a significant glance at Ralsei, who nodded. She raised a shield, urging Susie to do the same.

Ralsei lifted a hand, shimmering with magic. Jevil didn't look fazed in the least, as he let out a lopsided grin, before transforming into a knife again.

"Just kidding, bye bye!" he cackled out. The darkness seemed to grow, and swallow them as an army of said knives charged at them.

When the dark had cleared, she could see that her comrades were in a bad state. She herself wasn't doing too good. The last attack had completely destroyed whatever health they had. Kris panicked. Were they finally going to die now?

She avoided the next attack with a grunt, spending all her energy in the process. She eyed her enemy carefully. He seemed to be tired again, which could be a ruse, since he had no reason to do that once again, as they could call out his bluff. Or was he banking on the idea that they might catch on to what he was thinking, and surprise them yet again?

Kris sighed. They had tried enough. They were out of healing items. It wouldn't hurt to try that once again, would it? She nodded at Ralsei once, who nodded back in understanding, raising his arm once again.

 _SWISH_

The gambit had worked! Jevil was truly exhausted. Now they could do away with this damned joker for once and for all. He raised his brow, looking straight at Kris.

"Hee hee. I haven't had such fun in centuries! You kids have tired me up." He panted out.

Kris stepped forward, along with Ralsei and Susie before the jester bit out, "Now I will sleep for another hundred years." He said this, with a glint in his eyes, as though daring Kris to call out on some bluff. He continued, "Unfortunately, you kids cannot have such a pleasant dream. From now, a nightmare will awaken in your hearts." He gave Kris a significant look.

Kris stifled a gasp behind her hand. Jevil seemed to catch on to it, his face breaking out into an evil grin.

"In the shadow of the Knight's hand! Lightners! Can you stop it?" he gave small laugh, "Either way, a mischief-mischief, a chaos-chaos! Lightners! From inside your little cell, take this and do your strongest!" Jevil finished his monologue and disappeared from their sight.

Kris felt her pocket grow heavy, as if she'd put a new item in it. She put her hand inside, and grasped out, finding a locket charm, one that suspiciously looked like one of the knives Jevil had used against them. She pressed it into Ralsei's hand and stepped back.

She wanted to clench her fist and pound something into dust. She wanted to break something. She wanted to scream.

Chara had already spoken to her. What was this anomaly she spoke of, doing now? She had already seen this story once. Why would the anomaly force her to undertake this journey once again?

Chara's presence was no longer with her, but she knew better. She would go on about as if nothing ever happened, defeat the king, see who Ralsei really was, go back home and wake up in the night, only to let Chara assume dominance once again.

A situation so hopeless that she couldn't even cry about it if she wanted to. Not now, when the anomaly was possessing her body, making her do things she didn't want to do. It was a sick game, the anomaly and the fallen human fighting over her body.

She hadn't realized it at first, that her actions in the previous time she'd been here were not her own. She had deluded herself into thinking that they were hers, but ultimately, Susie's warning rang through her mind.

 _Your choices don't matter._

She wanted to be safe, she wanted to be protected. She needed her family back together. She wanted her brother back. But it seems that fate didn't swing her way.

She was scared.

And why did it feel as if someone was watching?

* * *

 _Sans_

He was making his way to the south of town, the area he had never explored before. He had heard from the residents that there was nothing but wilderness, and a storm shelter in that area and had generally dissuaded him from going over there, for reasons beyond him.

Sans had something else in his mind. He had to test his powers properly, now that he was in a new world. His panic attack at the store two days ago had been embarrassing and dangerous. Toriel had tried to talk to him about it, but he'd kept his lips pursed.

Apart from his powers, he had to also work on his fighting skills and stamina. When the human was fighting him, he'd realized that his fighting style had been too predictable. Granted, it was more unpredictable than the style of others, but still. For a human with the SAVE function, nothing would be unpredictable, but he had to try anyways.

He also had to work on his endurance. He'd been easily winded out during that fight, a fact which still made his cheekbones fall in shame. Maybe Papyrus had been right after all, the Papyrus he once knew.

The reason why he'd been defeated was not lost on him. The human had struck more than once, something he'd never even bothered to expect. He'd fallen into an easy pattern, and had begun to expect only single attacks from the human, which had been his downfall.

It took him another five minutes to reach the clearing inside the forest. He could hear the clear birdsong, one that reminded him of Asgore's garden and the judgement hall. He shook his head. It wouldn't do good to keep taking trips to the memory lane.

The clearing had a large mound in the center, and doors on one side of the mound. _The storm shelter,_ he mused to himself.

He took a deep breath. Holding it in, he raised his hand.

A wall of bones tore through the grass. He waved his hand to the left, a wave of bones passing by in front of him. He let out the breath he had been holding so far.

He closed his eyes. On opening them, he found himself in front of his house, next to the grocery store. He closed his eyes once again. On reopening them, he saw that he had come back to the clearing in the woods. Giving an affirmatory nod, he raised his hand once again and concentrated hard.

A huge skeletal head materialized to his left. He let it hover in place, idly stroking it with his left hand. He walked across the clearing, the blaster following him as he went. He concentrated once again, letting the head come to his right.

 _So far, so good._ If anything, Sans was surprised. He hadn't expected his powers to be still there with him, and here he still had them, with the same level of control, considering the circumstances he had found himself in, when he'd woken up in this world. He breathed in deeply, and closed his fist.

The first hints of light began to escape from the mouth of the skeletal head. He slowly ramped it up, hearing the device hum with power. He could feel it arriving, the point when the head would let out a blast. He decided to try something.

He tried to hold the explosion in using his own power, trying to charge it up. As the culmination point of the attack arrived, he started sweating profusely. He gritted his teeth as he felt a burning sensation spread across his chest. He managed to hold it for a couple of seconds, before the head fired, obliterating the clearing of trees next to it.

 _Ouch. I'll have to be more careful the next time, I guess._

The explosion was slightly ramped up from the previous explosions, but it didn't have the power Sans was hoping for. His expression morphed into a scowl, him scratching his head a couple of times.

 _I could always increase my stamina, but it is not going to help with my magical power output,_ he mused, _If this is the best I can do, I need to think of something else._

 _But you do have something else, don't you,_ a treasonous voice in his head spoke.

 _No, I can't use that,_ he responded in kind.

 _Why not?_ the voice pressed.

 _You know why, damn it! It is not mine to use. It is merely borrowed power, not my own,_ he reasoned.

 _Then why did you use it while fighting her?_ It continued to bother him.

 _It was a different situation at that time. The fate of the universe was at stake. At that time, I had no choice but to go all out on her._

The annoying voice seemed to have accepted that argument, for it had finally quieted down. Sans heaved slowly, worried by his own train of thoughts. Something in him was egging him on, urging him to do it, to use his one ability that he was most scared of.

 _The ability to break rules,_ he darkly thought. He called it The Sight. It was his most powerful ability. Whenever he would invoke it, his left eye would flash yellow and blue, allowing him to break the rules of reality for that period of time, doing whatever he could.

He had used that ability thrice in his fight with the human. The first time, he had used it so that he could attack the human first, unlike what the rules of his previous reality dictated.

The second time, when he'd exhausted himself, and resorted to the last option. He'd slammed the human across the judgement hall. A basic gravity change wouldn't have damaged the human. But when he'd invoked his power, the human had taken damage from those actions.

The third time, when he had tried to restrain the human, on his own turn, preventing her from fighting him.

He hadn't used it when he had been attacking her between his attacks. He'd merely placed a few bones in proper formation, and had been controlling them while dodging attacks. So much for fighting 'honorably'.

 _Now though…_

This power of his was unique. He hadn't figured it out, like his teleportation, neither had he built it from scratch, like his blasters. No, this was something he'd been born with, along with his ability to manipulate bones and to control his magic.

That was the problem though. He remembered having a father once. He wasn't sure if he had a mother. This father of his, he wasn't sure about him. He remembered him as a huge, imposing figure, who usually didn't treat him so well. Apart from that, he had almost no other memory of his childhood. Oddly enough, he didn't even remember if Papyrus was ever there.

The one thing he had been sure of was that he'd known Papyrus ever since he'd been in Snowdin. He wasn't sure if he had come to Snowdin with Papyrus, or just alone. He didn't even remember how he had gotten there.

Sans shook his head. It would do no good if he were to keep trying to connect the dots in his head, dots he didn't even know if they existed. He instead focused on the task that was in front of him.

 _That annoying part of my brain does have some truth to it. If I use the Sight, I can increase my power output by manipulating this reality. But what will I be giving up to use it once again?_

He had tried to use it once, when he had tried to countermand the power of the SAVE function. It hadn't worked, leading him to give up all hope in the world.

There was another problem that came with using the Sight. The Sight broke the rules of reality around him. If the Sight caused permanent damage to the reality he lived in, it would be a terrible inconvenience.

However, there was something about this place that called out to him, inviting him to use the Sight. Never before had he felt such a strong compulsion to use it, even in the face of mortal danger. He looked back towards the forest path that he'd come from and sighed.

 _Forgive me for this transgression,_ he thought with closed eyes. He wasn't sure whom he'd been asking forgiveness from. It was similar to how he had prayed while in the judgement hall, before fighting the human.

He opened his eyes, his left eye glowing with the power of the Sight. He raised his hand, summoning yet another blaster of his. It was child's play now, for he didn't even need to charge the explosion before he let it out.

The blaster fired, its beam a thousand times more radiant than what it usually would be. The explosion set a powerful shockwave, making the grass in the clearing bend in submission and the trees writhe with the power. Sans had closed his eyes, partly because of the sinking feeling of repentance welling up inside of him and partly because he was blinded by the light of the blast.

When the light died and he opened his eyes, he took a staggered step backward in shock. A whole new path had been cleared into the forest, in the direction of his blast, easily extending for a few hundred metres, having torn through all the trees in the clearing.

 _This power!_

Sans slumped his shoulders in defeat. He had increased the extent of his power. After all, all it had taken was for him to increase his attack strength.

By breaking the rules of the reality he was set in.

By doing the one thing he despised the anomaly for doing.

By selling himself to temptation, the temptation to finally make his choices matter.

He could feel that he was being watched.

Because whoever was watching him, had smiled.

* * *

 _Lancer_

While there were plenty of things Lancer could do now, given that he was the king of Darkners, he had no clue about what he should've been doing. The best way he could find to spend time was to find someone to play with.

Surprisingly, the troops no longer shunned him away, though that was no surprise. They wouldn't deny their king of his wishes, would they?

And so Lancer went on ahead, trying to cope with his new life, while at the same time having no idea on how he should rule his new kingdom. This new job irritated him, with courtiers constantly fighting each other in court, saying mean things to each other, while at the same time trying to force words into his mouth, the words being to the inconvenience of some other courtier.

It had been a couple of weeks since Susie and Kris had left. Lancer really missed his friends, even Ralsei, whom he hadn't seen ever after the two Lightners had left.

It was a couple of days later when he'd realized that nothing had changed. That nobody wanted him around, even with his father locked up and him being the king of Darkners. He'd managed to overhear upon a conversation between the other kings of Card Castle, who were still locked up in their cages.

" _Chaos King is locked. But his idiot of a son rules the Darkners. This is the perfect opportunity for us to seize control of the throne!" the king of clubs muttered in glee._

" _You forget about the Knight. He's already locked us up once, he'll probably do it again," said the king of diamonds._

 _The king of hearts shook his head, "That too because we were not prepared for the Knight. Not to mention that we were betrayed by Chaos King."_

 _The king of diamonds bristled, "Why do you keep calling him Chaos King? To us, he has always been the king of spades, nothing more than that."_

 _The king of hearts replied, "We just call him by the title bestowed by the people. For ordering the capture of Jevil. But let us not stray away from our topic."_

" _That you're right about. Now, all we need to think about is how to dispose of his son. His son and that miserable wretch he has kept for the 'puzzles'" the king of clubs spat out._

He had immediately run to RK to tell him about this conversation, but RK, the ever wonderful RK, had sent him away, the minister being more interested in getting his autobiography written.

His faith in his father had been broken too, ever since he'd found out that his father had been the one to get Jevil captured. Lancer slumped in his throne, not knowing what to do anymore.

 _Wait._

He was an idiot for not realizing this sooner! There still was one person who could guide him through all of this. His childhood friend, Jevil. He just needed to speak to Jevil and ask for help.

Lancer's smile faltered as he remembered that nobody knew where Jevil was, with possibly only one exception.

 _Seam._

* * *

He motioned the guards to have sit down in the field, telling them to have fun. He slowly walked up to the dilapidated shop, preparing himself to meet the one person who had always scared him away.

Lancer took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. Feeling bolder than he'd ever done in his entire life, he pushed the curtain hanging in the doorway aside and entered the shop. It was a clumsy little thing, scrolls lining the tables, swords hanging on the wall, a small lantern basking the shop with a dim, almost eerie light.

"So you've come here. How gracious of the new king to pay me a visit," came Seam's low burr.

"Seam," Lancer simply said.

"What is it that His Majesty would want with such a lowly shopkeeper?" Seam said in a mocking tone.

"I wanted to know what happened with Jevil."

Harsh laughter broke the silence that had fallen in the shop. Seam was laughing like a madman, clutching the stuffing coming out from the top of his head. Lancer felt himself grow apprehensive.

"What would you do with that information, Lancer? What could Jevil possibly could offer to you, that you would search for him in this manner?" Seam mused out aloud.

"I need help." Lancer admitted in a small voice.

* * *

"Your situation is not all terrible, you know Lancer?" Seam placed a hand on the young prince's shoulder.

"What do you mean?" Lancer sighed.

"What you heard back in that basement were just the schemes of desperate people. They have no means to make their schemes work. At best, all they'll be able to do is influence some ears in your kingdom," Seam explained in a gentle tone, "Apart from that, the Lightners left on a happy note, having the King thrown out by the people, rather than defeating or killing him. It also helps that the people chose you as their king."

"Does that mean I've got nothing to fear?" Lancer asked.

Seam's face darkened, "I never said that. As a ruling monarch, you always have to keep a track of those around you. What I meant was that you have nothing to worry from the three fools sitting in prison right now."

Lancer nodded once, him feeling as if a huge weight had been taken off his shoulders. He looked at Seam. He needed to ask him this one thing, "I just have one more thing to ask of you, Seam. Where's Jevil?"

Seam looked at him sadly, "Why are you so persistent with this?"

"He was my first friend, Seam. I miss him."

Seam looked away from Lancer, before he began to speak, "I was tasked with capturing Jevil by your father. I succeeded, but at a great cost to my body. Hell, even the throne room still bears the marks of that battle."

He continued, "Jevil was locked in a hidden part of Card Castle. Until now, however. Your friends, the Lightners encountered him and came to me, asking about him. I told them about how dangerous he had gotten, and how he had to be stopped."

He paused for a moment, turning back to look at Lancer, who had a sad look on his face. Shaking his head, Seam continued, "They defeated Jevil, something I'd always thought as impossible. They came to me with irrefutable proof. Jevil may have been defeated, but he still escaped prison. I have no idea as to where he might be now. I'm sorry Lancer."

Lancer got up and dusted the royal cloak he had been wearing. He gave a slight nod to Seam, who looked taken aback for some reason. He quickly recovered though before giving Lancer a nod in return. With that, Lancer finally left his 'Seap'.

As Lancer left, Seam could only think of one thing. How this had changed a young child's life forever. The look Lancer had given him, while giving him a nod, was tired look, one he didn't expect to see on the face of a young child, but on someone who had lived through a lot in life.

* * *

Lancer walked outside, immediately noticing that something was wrong. His guards were missing. He immediately summoned sets of spades around himself, ready to defend himself in a moment's notice.

He felt someone grab his hand. He whirled around to face his assailant, before he staggered back in confusion. He was no longer in the Field, but rather in the Forest. In the clearing between the trees, he could see his guards, all lying unconscious on the floor.

 _Hee hee._ A maniacal laugh cut through the peaceful silence. Lancer's eyes narrowed as he gazed upwards in the sky, before faltering.

In the sky was his one-time friend, Jevil. He looked mostly the same as before, just with more withered skin and a crack in his face.

"Greetings Lancer!"

"Jevil!" Lancer exclaimed.

Jevil raised an eyebrow as he studied Lancer carefully, "Seems like you've been taking care of yourself, Lancer. The King's cloak doesn't hurt either, does it?"

"Where have you been Jevil? I've looked for you for so long," Lancer stumbled out, his clogged throat making it difficult for him to speak.

"Ah, my dear Lancer. I know that the previous years had been very difficult for you. Worry not, however. I'll set a few things straight, before I leave."

Lancer yelled out, "You are going to leave me again? Like everyone does? I should've known better than to expect anything from you of all people!"

Jevil floated to Lancer, before putting a hand on his shoulder, "I know it is hard, being lonely. Trust me," he gave a small maniacal laugh, "I've been stuck alone for years. But don't worry. I'll make sure you aren't lonely when I leave. I promise."

Lancer asked, "What are you going to do, Jevil?"

Jevil shook his head, "This is something I can't tell you, yet. When the time comes, I'll come for you and tell you." Seeing Lancer's face, he frowned, "Is something wrong?"

Lancer swallowed, "You fought the Lightners. They are my friends. Why?"

Jevil sighed, "There are things greater than you and me, Lancer, that are at play here. My fight with the Lightners was to acquaint them to this fact. They have already realized this, and the futility of their actions that follow."

He continued, "Being in the open, while you all locked yourself away, has indeed changed me. I might be crazy, completely crazy, but that doesn't stop me from being a part of this greater purpose. When the time is right Lancer, you'll see what I mean. You still have a lot to see."

Lancer opened his mouth to speak, but Jevil raised a hand to stop him, "Not now. I know you're confused, but keep it to yourself for now, for your sake. You see, he is always watching and listening."

Lancer was even more confused by this, but kept his mouth shut and nodded.

"Good. You'll fall asleep now. You'll wake up back at your bed in Card Castle, okay Lancer?" Jevil said, as Lancer's vision began to fade.

* * *

 _Kris_

As the rays of dawn began to enter her room, she began to feel a little better. Chara seemed to have no problem ripping out the SOUL with the same ferocity again, not even bothering to mind how Kris was feeling, only to taunt the anomaly once again.

 _They thought they were so smart Kris!_ Chara's voice rang through her head. _They thought that if they fought the jester, I would've somehow relinquished control! But no! I am the stronger one, and it is time they learnt that._

Kris merely shrugged in response, even this action being performed by the anomaly.

 _Oh? The anomaly has control for now? That's interesting. Maybe I tend to grow stronger in the dark, and weaker in the light, Kris._ Chara mused.

 _Why can't both of you leave me alone? Must I suffer this everyday of my life? Where my choices don't matter at all?_ Kris pleaded.

 _As I told you Kris, where the anomaly goes, I follow. They made a contract with me. I am bound to them forever. It doesn't mean that I like them, or that they like me._ The fallen human tried to explain.

Kris thought furiously, _Please, let me go, whoever you are! I beg of you, Anomaly!_

 _Oh no, they won't leave you. They will play you like a fiddle, until they exhaust you, and this pointless world you live in completely. Once that happens, they'll be done with this world, and move on to the next. And I'll follow them there too. When that happens, you can consider yourself freed, Oh dear Kris,_ explained Chara, in a mocking tone.

 _So what now, Chara?_

 _We'll see what the anomaly does with you during the day. At the night however, I'll take control over you._

Kris thought back, _What will you do with my body?_

 _Prepare it,_ came Chara's response.

 _Prepare it for what?_ Kris asked.

 _Prepare it for assuming my full power, of course._

* * *

As Kris stumbled out of her home, still having no control on what she was doing, she could only think of one thing.

 _Let the night never come._

Because if it did, she would lose everything dear to her. Chara would only grow stronger at the night, and take over her body and prepare it. She'd spent the last few minutes interrogating Chara mentally, demanding to tell her what she meant by that.

It had horrified Kris. The first night was a free pass, since Chara just had to reveal herself, and test out her influence on Kris. Tonight, she would have to kill the monsters living in this town, in order to increase her LOVE, as Chara had called it. When she would have enough LOVE, Chara would take complete control over her body, and let the anomaly go to rot.

Kris panicked internally. She had to stop this madness somehow. Judging by her uncertain gait and blank expression that she'd seen in the mirror, she could tell that the anomaly wasn't aware of Chara's plan, even if they were aware of her presence.

She moved across the town, not knowing where she was headed to. Fortunately, it was a holiday, and she didn't have to go to school. Her legs halted and she looked up. In front of her was the skeleton, Sans's house. The anomaly had, for some reason, brought her to this spot.

 _We need to leave this place, immediately!_ Came Chara's panicked voice.

 _What's the matter, huh, Chara? You don't seem so tough right now,_ Kris taunted back.

 _You fool. This skeleton is a sworn enemy of mine. I thought I had finished him, back then, for good. I don't know if he suspects us yet, but we need to leave,_ Chara said urgently.

 _How did this goofball manage to become a sworn enemy of yours?_

 _You'll see Kris, you'll see._

Kris had walked up to the door of the house and had given it a sharp knock. She could still hear the faint sound of bones, but this time, they seemed to be approaching the door. The door swung open, to reveal a skeleton, about her age. He rubbed his eye sockets.

"Sans, where have y-oh. You're not Sans," the skeleton said uncertainly. It continued to speak, albeit a bit disturbed by the smile that had crossed Kris's face. It felt as if the anomaly had seen this skeleton before.

"Who are you?"

Kris replied, "I am Kris."

"What do you want?" Papyrus asked her, in a somewhat rude manner.

"I've come to meet you and your brother."

Papyrus rubbed his skull, "Well, my brother's not here. Thanks for coming by." Without waiting for Kris's response, he shut the door in her face.

 _Hmm, funny. I don't remember this one being so rude,_ came the sounds of Chara musing.

 _You know him too?_ Kris bit out mentally.

 _C'mon Kris. You haven't realized it by now? I know all of these people. Haven't you seen me in your mind? I practically wear the same outfit as you, find familiarity in your house, and this town. Any guesses?_ Chara asked her.

It didn't take too long for Kris to connect the dots. Kris thought back, _You and I are the same, aren't we?_

 _Excellent. It just so happens that we belong to different universes. Need something more to hear? I was adopted by Toriel and Asgore, just like you. I also had a brother named Asriel._ Chara went on.

 _Is everyone from this town in your world too?_ Kris asked.

 _No. For starters, we lived in an underground cavern, not the surface world. Apart from that, there are people whom I've never seen before. Susie, Noelle, Lancer, the Dark World. They never existed in my world._

Kris asked her another question, _Why tell all of this to me? You clearly don't have the best of intentions, as your plan so tells me. What's the deal with you?_

 _I should've anticipated this question, ha. For starters, it is pretty boring to just stick around in someone's head and not talk to them. Second, neither you nor the anomaly will have any say in anything during the night, since I'll be the dominee of this body,_ Chara paused.

Kris let out a frustrated mental growl. It didn't help that she was reminded of this situation time and again.

Ignoring Kris, Chara continued, _Third, this is a new world for me too. It wouldn't do well if I don't have any idea about it._

Kris realized, that while she had been having this mental conversation with the fallen human, that she'd been trying to call Sans on his cell phone, though only hearing a bell ringing on forever. She had taken a seat on the pavement outside his house, and wasn't moving at all. Maybe Sans would come, and if Chara was so afraid of him, maybe he could help her trusted the anomaly to find Sans, because she had felt herself jump with joy and her expression morph when she'd seen him for the first time.

 _Chara might be afraid of him, but the anomaly seems to be fond of him._

She looked up when she heard the footsteps approach her.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, I've been gone for some time, which is a shame actually. Life as an engineering student is not very easy though. This chapter was originally 9k words in length, but I didn't want it to be too much of dry reading. Plus, I am not very happy with how the rest of the chapter was written, even after rewriting it a couple of times. I'll still try to bring Chapter 9 at speed ASAP.  
My concept regarding Sans's left eye is pretty simple. It is supposed to be a power, when invoked can manipulate the rules of the reality. The following story will elaborate on how Sans got it. Due to this ability being too overpowered in my head-canon, I decided to make it a power which Sans is afraid of, one which he is hesitant to use. I feel this neatly ties up the limited use of this eye in his fight and also plays into Sans's character quite well.  
The story arc that began in chapter 6 (i.e. the Genocide Run) ends in the next chapter. All chapter before that were to basically set things up before our current arc. The next chapter will have big impact on the overall story, and two separate story-lines (or timelines) will emerge. Both the story lines will be put in "Requiem of Solace" because both of them are responsible for driving the story forward.  
The interactions between Kris and Chara were... interesting to write. Here, Kris is just a plain kid who just has a difficult family before the events of Deltarune. When the anomaly i.e. the player started playing Deltarune, they took over Kris, imposing their will on Deltarune's world via the union of Kris's body and their SOUL (As aptly described in the starting of the game, where you are required to create a vessel). Indeed you are connected. What the anomaly (the player) doesn't realize is that Chara is still with them, having some degree of control over the player's SOUL. And so, when the time is right and it is night, Chara wrests the control of Kris away from the player. Personally, I feel Kris is a tragic character due to her lack of control. She's being used by the player and being used by Chara.  
The last bit of this chapter goes into Chara's plan to take over this world. She plans to murder everyone during the night, essentially increasing Kris's LOVE so that she could fulfill her objectives once again. Chara might seem like a general bad guy so far, killing just for the sake of killing, but she will also have a character arc through the course of the story.**

 **Phew, this sounds complicated even for me now. Well whatever. I'd like to thank all the follows and favorites of this story and the people who have added me as favorite author. It makes my heart happy to see that people are interested in reading what I have to write. Thank you so much everyone, for your reviews, likes, even views. It drives my muse onward! Hugs and kisses and lots of love to all of you. Au revoir.**


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